Revenge
by AMZ-C-Raven
Summary: After Raven is seriously injured during a battle with a dangerous new enemy, the Titans find themselves being torn apart by an internal conflict. Can they put aside their differences and work together to stop a madman who is threatening their very lives?
1. The Power of Nightmares

**Hello again! Your old friend, AMZ-C-Raven here with another exciting Teen Titans fanfic! This one is going to be a lot darker in tone than my previous two stories, but will still definitely be fun. I'm also hoping to make it longer than the last two, but we'll see... I've got two other chapters already planned for this one. I'll update as often as possible, again depending totally on my work load.**

**The Usual Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

**And now... enjoy!**

REVENGE

Chapter 1: The Power of Nightmares

The morning sun rose slowly on the horizon, illuminating Jump City and ushering in a brand new day. The unknown terrors that plagued the night were washed away with the light as ordinary citizens began to wake up and go about their regular lives. Early birds grabbed their drive-thru breakfasts. Mothers fought tooth and nail to drag their children out of their beds for school. Businessmen practiced speeches in front of their mirrors. And on top of Titans Tower, a lone figure looked out over the bay with a worried expression.

Raven's sleeping patterns were never what you would call regular, but the past week had been hell. She couldn't even chalk it up to any sort of clairvoyance. It was simply a nameless sense of worry that plagued her and kept her from enjoying her rest. She stood atop the building, watching the sun rise and contemplating what, if anything, all of this meant. Unable to make a pattern from the chaos, she settled into just enjoying the peace and quiet. Her thoughts were disrupted with the sound of a door closing and footsteps plodding slowly towards her. She could tell just from the noises who it was coming up behind her.

"Hey." Mumbled Beast Boy, rubbing his eyes as he approached the cloaked teen on the roof.

"You're up early. What're you doing up here?"

"I couldn't sleep. I had a horrible dream."

"Mmm. I know what you mean."

"I figured I'd go see if anybody else was up, and I knew you liked to meditate up here." He paused for a second before continuing. "Did you have a nightmare, too?"

"No. Never. I just... I've got a feeling. And it's making me restless."

"A feeling? What kind of a feeling?"

"I can't quite explain it. Something doesn't feel right. I hate to sound cliche, but I've got a bad feeling about this. About today." She finally turned to look at him. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow as he recognized the alien appearance on Raven's face: a look of apprehension.

"Did you have a vision or something?"

Her eyes shot towards the ground. "No." She sighed. "What did you dream about?" She added quickly, clearly uncomfortable.

Beast Boy looked out over the bay, avoiding her eyes. "Uhh... A giant piece of tofu ate me. Something stupid like that." He slurred.

Raven eyed him carefully, but he continued to stare out over the water. She turned her head to follow his gaze, deciding not to pry. They stood there in silence, taking in the morning one chilled breath at a time. Finally, the ashen figure turned to her green counterpart.

"Breakfast?" was all she asked.

"Sounds good." he mumbled, and they made their way back into the tower.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Raven poured the cup of herbal tea, she felt that nagging feeling in the back of her mind slowly fade away. She was still worried, of course. But she made a conscious decision to not let anything as silly as a... feeling... ruin her day.

_If it was something more concrete, like a real premonition, then there would be cause for alarm. But this is just something in my gut. I've got to be careful, yes, but I can't keep running myself ragged like this. I need to relax. God help me, I might ever find myself playing some Stankball today._ She looked over towards her green companion, hunched over his meal of waffles, eating at an incredibly leisurely pace. _Whatever kind of nightmare Beast Boy had, it's certainly affected him as deeply as this has gotten to me._ She noted with concern. She sipped her cup thoughtfully as she watched him.

A few minutes later, Cyborg entered, a huge smile on his face.

"Goooooood mornin' everyone!" he bellowed, taking a seat next to the changeling. "Ahhh... nothin' like a fine breakfast of waffles to make a man's morning, eh grass stain?" He nudged his friend with a rough jab from his elbow.

"Uh, yeah." Beast Boy mumbled with a mouthful of chewed waffle.

The cybernetic hybrid stuck out his tongue. "Ewww, man, don't talk with your mouth full. Geez, you sound tired this morning. Up too late playing Zombie Monkey Ninjas again?"

"No." came the monosyllabic reply. Cyborg tilted his head, examining Beast Boy carefully.

"Say, BB... you feeling okay? I thought maybe you were just burnin' the midnight oil, but you really sound out of it today."

"I'm fine, Cyborg. It's nothing."

The metallic teen raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, man. Okay. Lemme know if there's annnnything I can do, though."

Beast Boy managed a smile. Raven felt something odd about it, though. It didn't seem real. Regardless, the Changeling gave Cyborg doe eyes. "You can let me beat the tar out of you at video games today!" he pleaded.

"Hell no! I can't just let you win! Where's the fun in that?"

"I'd have fun."

"Glorious morning, friends! Once again, the large star in the centre of your system will be visible to our hemisphere! Is not this occurance exciting?" came a sweet voice from behind the trio. Everybody turned as Starfire flew into the room.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Thrilling. I'll do my best to contain myself. It's almost as exciting as that period of time when the sun _isn't_ visible to us. I think it's called 'night.' Something like that, anyway."

Starfire laughed at Raven's comment, and the arcane teen allowed herself a smile, too. Robin strolled in shortly after Starfire, a grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" Their leader asked, curiosity in his voice.

"I was telling our group how amazing the idea of the 'day' was, and Raven echoed such sentiments, only in regards to the night"

Robin's brow furrowed. "I... see..." was all he said, and he quickly took a seat to enjoy his breakfast.

They ate in silence for the remainder of the meal. Robin and Starfire had also noticed Beast Boy's troubled demeanor, but had kept their thoughts on the subject to themselves. His grim face, however, was very much the reason why the group wasn't as comfortable joking around this morning. Finally, Robin tried to break through his ally's shell.

"Beast Boy, I'm sorry to pry, but what's up?"

The green lad slapped on a grin and pointed skyward. "The ceiling, duh!"

Robin shook his head. "I'm serious. You look really down. What's the matter?"

Beast Boy looked at his plate before returning to meet Robin's eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. I woke up early this morning because I had a nightmare. It was pretty intense. I guess I still haven't gotten over it." He turned his head for a second to look at Raven, who was leaning on the kitchen counter sipping her tea. She caught his glance, but said nothing. He turned back to Robin without saying anything.

Robin nodded. "Well, if you do want to talk about it, don't be afraid. You're among friends."

Beast Boy looked down at his plate and grimaced. "Thanks, man. And thanks everybody. But I'm okay. Really." Just as he started to raise his head to look back at his comrades, the room began to glow an eerie red as the alarm sounded.

"Awwwww! COME ON! It's seven o'clock in the morning!" groaned Cyborg, polishing off the rest of his meal in a hurry.

"Titans! Go!" shouted Robin, and the team raced towards the T-Car.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They arrived downtown minutes later, and were astonished to find a massive crater in the middle of the road. Getting out of the vehicle, the Titans surveyed the damaged.

"Well, whoever did this certainly had some heavy-duty firepower on his hands." Muttered Cyborg with a low whistle.

"Enough admiration. Whoever did this is a criminal just like any other. It's a miracle nobody was injured. Thank God it's so early." Added Robin. The rest of the group nodded at his sentiment.

"Oh, please! I do not mind admiration. Flattery will get you... everywhere..." came a strange voice from above them. The group looked straight up and found a figure perched atop a nearby building. Just as Starfire and Raven flew up to meet him, he disappeared. The duo looked at each other with puzzled expressions. With a flicker, the same figure materialized in the centre of the crater. Regrouping, the Titans examined their alleged foe.

The man wasn't very tall, but he was remarkably well built. Every muscle on his body seemed to have an impeccable tone. His lithe form almost rippled with his movements beneath his dark uniform. His face was covered by a black balaclava mask, his eyes protected by a pair of silver goggles. Around his waist he held a large red belt.

"Okay, nutjob. Who are you? Houdini's ghost?" demanded the metallic hybrid, sonic cannon aimed at the man.

The figure's voice was hollow and had a distinct echo to it. It definitely didn't sound human. "Please allow me to introduce myself... I am a man of wealth and taste..." He chuckled as the Titans gave him a peculiar look. "Pardon me. A little humour, perhaps from before your time. I have a true name, of course. But you shall never know it. You may call me the Gemini."

"What are you doing here?" It was Robin's turn to issue a demand now.

"Why, isn't it obvious? I wished to check the stability of the city's roads, of course." He laughed again, which sounded ethereal with the echo on his voice. "Not the answer you sought, I realize. Allow me to explain further, then. You see, I am a true terrorist. To the very core of the word. I hold no real ideology, except to disrupt the very fabric of our society. I wish to counterbalance any sense of order with chaos and replace any sense of safety with fear. We must never grow complacent. We must always be afraid."

The Titans looked at each other, completely perplexed.

"Why on earth would you subscribe to such ideas?" asked Starfire, her voice shaking. The very idea bothered her immensely.

The Gemini cleared his throat. "Terrorism is a terrible weapon, but the oppressed poor have no choice."

"Great. Now he's quoting Sartre." quipped Raven dryly.

"Red-headed cartoon teenager? Lives in Riverdale?" asked Beast Boy.

"Dead philosopher. Lived in France."

"Oh."

"You hardly seem poor. That teleportation device you're wearing for a belt couldn't have been cheap." scoffed Cyborg.

The figure tilted his head. "Ahh. You recognized it. Good for you. It was stolen, of course. I have my motives, but there is no point in telling you. You're one of many groups that stand in the way of achieving my goals. You are the epitome of safety and stability. And so, I'm going to destroy you." His voice grew very cold.

"I've had enough... Titans! Go!" Robin declared, tossing an explosive disk at his foe, who simply teleported several feet back, dodging the blast.

Cyborg charged the masked figure, leaping into the air to catch up to him. The Gemini disappeared in a flash, reappearing directly above Cyborg, landing on his back and driving him into the ground, teleporting away before he could also be injured.

Beast Boy changed into a velociraptor, lunging at the figure and grabbing him in his claws. Gemini brought both of his fists to the dinosaur's throat, causing Beast Boy to cry out and revert back to human form in intense pain. Clutching his neck, he released his grip on his opponent.

"Azarath metrion..." began Raven, attempting to levitate some debris from the crater.

"Ah ah ah! No magic, please!" chastised Gemini, flicking a green square that landed directly over Raven's mouth. Eyes wide, the empath attempted to remove the square, and found it was tightly attached to her face. She continued to struggle as Starfire launched a flurry of starbolts at the villain. Glancing casually behind himself, the Gemini teleported away, dodging an attempted tackle from Cyborg and causing the half-machine to run into the path of the emerald blasts. Sustaining the brunt of several of the bolts, Cyborg was sent flying through the window of a nearby building.

"OH! DEAR FRIEND! I AM SO--" began Starfire, hands covering her mouth in horror. She was cut off when a black disk collided with the pit of her stomach, causing her to float to the ground in pain.

Checking on the shapeshifter, Gemini saw him beginning to rise once again. "I almost forgot!" he blurted, tossing a pink collar in Beast Boy's direction, clicking into place neatly around his neck.

"I... I can't change!" shouted the green lad in horror after a failed attempt. He began tugging desperately at the foreign device.

"If you remove it, it will explode!" His foe yelled, turning just as Robin swung at him with his bostaff. "You're the leader, right? Allow me to give you some constructive criticism. Simply put, your team needs a lot of work. I thought it would be harder than this. I'd heard so many great things about your little gang."

Robin let out a cry of exasperation as every attempt to hit Gemini was met with amazing feints. It was like trying to hurt a ghost.

"Do my maneuvers seem familiar, Robin? I ran into a one-eyed friend of yours once. That's also how I know your names, of course."

Robin screamed and jabbed forward with his weapon blindly. Gemini proceeded to grab the staff, wrenching it from the Boy Wonder's hands, swinging it quickly around and clipping both of the hero's knees. Robin fell to the ground in pain as Gemini spun his new-found toy around, bringing it back down on the wounded teen's neck, knocking him unconscious. Posing, Gemini did a mental checklist of the last few minutes.

"Well, that was--" he began.

"ZINTHOS!" came a cry, and Gemini fell to the ground as a rock collided with his skull. He looked up, surprised to find an incredibly angry sorceress approaching him, her hood raised, her eyes glowing blood red.

"Impressive..." he whispered. "It's been fun." He shouted, tossing a grey sphere in Raven's direction. She shielded her face as it exploded and thick black smoke poured over the area. When it dissipated, their enemy was gone.

Robin slowly raised his head, attempting to stand. "What... what just happened?" He grunted.

"We got humiliated. That's what happened." strained Raven, attempting to hide the rage in her voice.

"We got royally whupped! I can't believe that!" screamed Cyborg, limping over to his teammates.

"Is everybody okay?" asked Robin hoarsely.

"I had the wind removed from my lungs suddenly, but I believe I am okay now." offered Starfire, landing beside the wounded Robin and helping him stand.

"I'm okay, man. Mostly hurt my pride."

"I am terribly, terribly sorry about that, friend Cyborg. The vile fiend tricked me..." apologised Starfire.

"It's okay, Starfire, really. Just don't make me eat some apologetic pudding or something." mumbled her robotic teammate, rubbing his neck.

"I'd say he mostly hurt my pride, too. Although his own pride certainly didn't help him. That... thing he put over my mouth came off easier than he had obviously thought it would." added Raven, rubbing her face. A thought hit her suddenly, shaking her out of her depressed stupor. "Beast Boy! Where is he?" The Titans' eyes all went wide.

Robin quickly checked his communicator. A sly smile came over the leader. "Heh, you're right, Raven. He's not as clever as he thinks. He forgot about Beast Boy's communicator. I'm getting a signal just over a block away. I think I'm okay to go. Everybody?"

The Titans all nodded, looks of anger and determination clouding their faces.

"That arrogant bastard is gonna get what's coming to him." spat Cyborg, punching his fist.

"Then let's go!" shouted Robin, grinning. The Titans made their way north, following their leader.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kicking the door in, the Titans walked inside the building. On the outside, it had seemed like any other skyscraper in the Downtown. But as they entered, they were amazed at how dark it was. It was a weekday like any other, and there was nobody to be found. It appeared almost as if it was a fairly upscale old hotel, and the lack of staff made things that much more mysterious.

"You sure this is the place?" asked the hulking half-robot, walking over and examining the tiny silver bell on the reception desk.

"It's where the signal is coming from." replied the spiky-haired leader.

"Good enough for me."

"Okay, Titans... stay together. Try to work together and flank him next time. We've got to save Beast Boy... the way he was talking about us, it seems very likely he could kill him."

Starfire breathed in suddenly at those words. She stood straighter, looking at Robin. "I will do everything in my power to save our friend from this demon who appears as a man."

"Well said, Starfire!" congratulated Robin as they approached the elevator.

The large steel doors opened suddenly, startling the group. Looking inside the metal box as best they could with the dim lighting, they saw a blinking device on the ground. Cyborg picked it up.

"It's Beast Boy's communicator." stated Raven, shaking her head. "We underestimated him again."

"You certainly did!" came a familiar booming voice behind them. They spun around quickly in combat poses, only to be hit by four red beams before they could react. The remaining Titans disappeared instantly as Gemini watched them, a strange oval device in his hands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raven blinked and found herself in a small room, surrounded by three concrete walls and a large metal door.

_How on earth did I get here? I remember a red flash..._ she thought, whipping her head around, confused. She sighed and tried the door. Of course, it was locked.

"No matter..." she whispered, and phased through the blocked portal. She found herself in a dark corridor, and at the very end was what appeared to be the boiler room for the building.

"Well, follow the yellow brick road, I guess. Or in this case... the mud-brown concrete floor" She sighed, making her way down the long hallway into the room ahead. The heat inside was intense, and she found it very hard to concentrate. Within moments she suddenly realized that she could sense a presence... Beast Boy's. Her eyes grew wide with comprehension as she began to poke around the massive boilers and furnaces that crowded the dingy room. Bare lightbulbs cast a harsh yellow light as she searched.

"Beast Boy." she whispered, her eyes darting around.

"Mmmmmmph..." came a muffled reply. Raven rushed towards the sound, turning a corner and finding her friend and ally chained to a furnace, his mouth gagged.

"Oh, thank God." she whispered. The changeling looked up at her through swollen eyes, and began grunting once he recognized the empath before him.

"Calm down, calm down! It's going to be alright. I'll just remove these chains." She started to concentrate. "Azarath..." she began, and was knocked to the ground before she could finish, a blunt object colliding with the left temple of her skull.

The cloaked teen rolled on the floor in agony, clutching her head. Gemini walked over to her and delivered a second blow to the right temple of her skull, and she cried out in pain. Beast Boy groaned, his eyes squinting as he recognized the instrument in his enemy's hands: Robin's bostaff. Not speaking, the Gemini kicked his prone prey in the stomach. Pressing down with his boot, he held her still, preventing her from writhing further as he struck her a third time, knocking her unconscious. The tormentor turned to his hostage, who was screaming into the gag at this point, his eyes wide in terror. He shook against the chains with all of his might, rattling the metal behind him.

"Isn't this terrible? Beast Boy, right? Yes, that's it. Isn't this terrible, Beast Boy? She's laying here, helpless. I bet you wish you could break those chains right now and remove my head from my neck. Actually, I bet you'd want me to beg first. To beg for my life, to beg for mercy from the all-powerful Beast Boy. Pathetic." As Gemini raised the bostaff once more, Beast Boy let out another muffled shout as the black-clad monster brought the metal rod back down on Raven's skull.

He turned back to his captive, shaking his head. "I wish I could read your mind right now. I think that'd be an absolute hoot." He chuckled to himself before clearing his throat.

Gemini's surreal voice took on a menacing tone. "I want you to know this, Beast Boy: I will break all of you. In due course, I will break every one of the Teen Titans. Physically, mentally... it's going to happen." He struck the prone girl in the head once more out of spite.

"And every single time, you're going to be just as helpless as you are right now. Enjoy what peace you once had, Beast Boy. Enjoy getting to sleep at night. Relish the last time you smiled or laughed. Because from now on, your memories will be nothing but pitiful moments like this one. Tell the others. This isn't over."

Bringing the bostaff down on Raven's head one last time elicited a high-pitched squeak from the changeling, tears pouring from his eyes at this point. The eyes themselves had been transformed into narrow slits of absolute hatred. He had pulled his chains to their very limit, every muscle in his body straining against the iron restraints. Gemini looked on as nothing happened, tilting his head as he watched. He dropped the metal weapon to his side, missing Raven's body by centimeters.

Gemini laughed again. "So long, Beast Boy. I'll be seeing you." With those words, he disappeared.

Beast Boy stood there chained to the hot machine behind him. In a state of complete shock, his eyes absorbed the scene before him. He watched his fallen comrade on the ground, her blood trickling out onto the grimy floor. The sickening redness oozing from her head wound tainted her violet locks. The shapeshifter hoped beyond anything in the universe that she was still alive. With only his eyes available to him, he examined her body for signs of breathing. His heart skipped a beat for a second before he realized her lungs were still functioning. Her breathing was incredibly shallow, but there were signs of life. His vision disappeared into the mist as tears began to flow. Tears of sorrow, but tears of happiness at her survival.

He wept for several minutes before he heard a loud click, and a door to his left opened, and the rest of the Teen Titans entered.

"Beast Boy! You are in good health!" shouted Starfire, running over quickly and ripping off his chains. "Why are you leaking?" she asked, perplexed.

Although he was gagged, the green lad couldn't even muster a moan. Dazed, Beast Boy pointed behind them into the shadows, and the trio turned to view the horrifying tableau.

"Oh... my God..." whispered Cyborg, running over quickly to examine Raven's body.

"What happened here? Where's Gemini?" shouted Robin, the colour draining from his face as he watched his metallic friend attempt to resuscitate their injured comrade. He removed the ballgag from Beast Boy's mouth, patting him in the shoulder.

"The bastard! The... the... the fucking bastard!" exploded Beast Boy. "He... he chained me here... and then Raven came in... and he started beating her and beating her and beating her... and he kept talking to me as he did it. He was taunting me! He was fucking taunting me!" the manic Beast Boy wailed. Starfire embraced her friend as they both began to weep.

"It's... it's my bostaff. He beat her with my bostaff." spat Robin, anger rising in his shaking voice as he noticed the weapon on the ground.

"He told me he was going to break us. He said that this was just the beginning." coughed Beast Boy, his voice cracking. The other Titans exchanged worried glances.

"We're not going to let him do anything. Let's not panic. He's not going to get away with this. We're going to find this son of a bitch and we're going to bring him to justice." hissed the Titans' leader, tossing his bloodied staff across the room.

"Justice." whispered Beast Boy, sniffing. Starfire squeezed him one last time and let him go, rubbing his arm.

"How is our friend?" the Tamaranian meekly added, wiping her eyes.

"We gotta get her back home to the Tower. I can't do anything down here." Cyborg said quietly.

Robin nodded. "Let's go get the car. We can get the stretcher out of it."

"Sounds good." The metallic teen stood up and turned to the two Titans stifling sobs. "We'll be right back, okay? You guys watch Raven. Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right." Cyborg and Robin made their way out the door carefully.

Cyborg gave one last look behind them as they made their exit, a single tear making its way down his cheek.

The duo stood in silence for a minute watching their friend's breathing. Her chest rose and fell, slowly, steadily, almost cautiously. In... then out... then in again. Although they were far apart, her breaths were still steady.

"I can't stand it..." whispered Beast Boy, punching a boiler.

"Do not destroy yourself over this, friend. I know that is hard. But there was nothing you could do."

"That's the problem, Star. I... I watched as my friend was beaten almost to death before my eyes! I was so helpless! I was so pathetic."

"It was not your fault. We will bring justice to this evil creature. It will be served. I want to see this man defeated as much as you do."

Beast Boy looked at Raven, trying not cry again. "This... this is exactly what happened in my nightmare." he choked. "It was just like it. Raven lying there, being tortured. This warped figure standing there, taunting me as he does it. And there's nothing I can do. This is exactly like my dream." He turned back to his alien friend, who was staring at him, her face pale.

"A horrible coincidence. You don't sound like yourself, friend... You can't let this bother--"

He interrupted her, a sharp edge to his voice. "Well, no more coincidences. This isn't going to repeat itself. Justice will be served."

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "We will have vengeance."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. BB For Vendetta

**I'll keep my comments brief today. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's commented so far, as well as to all of my readers in general. This chapter is a bit of a departure for me, but that made it very interesting to write. I love the tone of this chapter. Hope you enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 2: B.B. For Vendetta

Beast Boy sat in the small metal chair, body hunched forward, head in his hands, staring straight ahead. He had been doing this for almost seventeen hours now. He watched the respirator helping Raven breathe. With a sudden hiss (startling and unnatural every time), the air would rush into her lungs. After a pause, the air would rush out (Just as unnatural, and just as startling, too). It was artificial casual breathing. He couldn't stand it.

He listened to the beeps and the clicks of the machines in the room. He watched the dozens of flickering lights on the many devices which were monitoring all of her vital signs. He smelled the antiseptic and medicine odors that permeated the area. Gripping his chair tightly, he tried so hard no to cry from the overwhelming sensations. He was so tired, and his felt his eyes drooping, fighting him so hard to just give in and fall asleep. But he refused to let her go. After all, he was responsible for all of this. It was only ten hours ago that Cyborg had finally broken the news to everybody.

"She's alive, and I've got a good feeling she's going to make it." Their joy at that moment was curtailed when he raised his hand for silence. "Let's not celebrate just yet, okay. She's... she's in a coma."

Beast Boy remembered those words tearing a jagged hole somewhere inside of his chest. He felt guilt like he'd never experienced before. _You're the reason your friend is in a coma, you know... You got captured, you were the bait... and now she's lying here, helpless. This is all your fault._

He remembered back to what Cyborg had said next. "There are no signs of brain damage, thank God. But there is no way of telling when she'll come out of this. I have no clue when she'll ever wake up." The metallic teen had looked through his friends as he spoke, his eyes glazed over. He had looked like someone had just forced him to shoot them all through the heart. He had been physically present, he had told them what they needed to know... But mentally, he had been a million miles away.

That was ten hours ago now. Jesus. It felt like ten seconds in the changeling's exhausted state. The door opened, and Starfire walked in.

"You are still awake, friend? It is going on four o'clock in the morning. Perhaps you should partake in a slumber?"

Beast Boy's eyes fell lazily on his friend's form. He could barely make her out through his haze. He shook his head, saying nothing.

"There is nothing more you can do right now, friend. We all must adjust to friend Raven's condition. She would not want us to let this disrupt our lives. You are aware of this fact." Her green friend avoided her eyes. "Come on, let us get you into bed. You may dream the Dreams of Beautiful Friendships. Take solace in your memories."

Taking his arm, she brought him to his feet. He grunted but offered no resistance as she led him from the room and into the hallway. They walked down the hall slowly, careful with each step forward, Starfire's grip tight on her friend as he began to fall asleep on his feet. They passed by Robin, who stopped to watch as they made their way down to the end of the hall and into the elevator. He shook his head as the doors closed and they continued on their way to Beast Boy's room. Continuing on his way, Robin walked into the infirmary to watch over his comatose friend. Grasping her hand he looked cautiously at her face. He absently brushed a stray lock of hair from her left cheek.

"I'm so sorry. I am so sorry I let this happen..." he whispered.

"Let what happen?" came the voice from behind him, startling him back to reality. He turned quickly to find Cyborg standing in the doorway.

"Jeez... you stopped my heart."

"Sorry, man. I couldn't help but eavesdrop."

There was an awkward silence as Robin let go of Raven's hand, turning completely to face his friend now. They looked at each other for a few seconds before the cybernetic hybrid finally spoke up.

"So... what were you apologising for? Last time I checked, you didn't put her in that... state."

Robin scratched his neck nervously. Finally he shook his head. "I can't lie to you. I... I feel completely responsible for this."

Cyborg raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? You didn't teleport us away from each other. Me, you and Star were lucky enough to find one another so quickly. It was bad luck we couldn't find Raven or Beast Boy in time. What happened was terrible, but it was completely out of our hands. At least we're all still alive. It could have been worse."

"What if it _had_ been worse? I lead us to that building, I should have known it was a trap. The bastard mentioned Slade, he knows all of these deceptive tricks. After all these years battling villains, I can't believe I let us walk right into that. I feel so stupid. So what if it _had_ been worse, Cyborg? What if Raven _had_ been killed? Or Beast Boy, or _both_? What if he'd killed us all?" Robin's hands tightly gripped his own face at this point. "What if he'd killed us all because _I fucked up_?"

Cyborg grabbed his leader by the shoulders and began to shake him. "Get a grip on yourself, man! You're sounding like Beast Boy! Look... what happened, happened. We did the best job we could do at the time. It's the past. Let's focus on bringing this fucker down. We're all behind you. A hundred percent."

"But..."

"But nothing. It could have happened to anybody. Any one of us could have said, 'This looks like a trap.' But we didn't, because none of us thought it either."

"Yes, but none of you are the leader. You are all my responsibility. And I failed you. All of you."

Cyborg grunted in frustration. "You want to know what a great leader would have done?" He asked through grit teeth.

"What's that?"

"He would have accepted responsibility for what happened, recognized his mistakes--all minor, and many of them out of his control in the first place--and _learned_ from them. Stop getting stuck up on the past, man. We need you to focus on the present. Gemini is still out there. The city is still in danger."

Robin slapped his forehead, taking deep breaths. Cyborg let go of the spiky-haired teen, taking a step backward. They looked at each other for almost a minute before the Titans' leader finally let his thoughts out.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. This is not the time to obsess. We have to figure out a battle plan for the next time Gemini strikes. Especially since we're down a team member. Geez, I know that sounds callous... This isn't her fault or anything..." He began to speak faster now, sounding more manic.

"It's okay, man. I know what you mean." soothed Cyborg, trying to bring his leader back to reality.

"Right. Right." He paused, looking at Raven. He looked back at his metallic ally. "How's Beast Boy doing? I saw him and Starfire getting on the elevator. I hope to God they were taking him to get some sleep. He's been awake for almost twenty-four hours by now."

Cyborg nodded. "I know. He's taking this incredibly hard. He feels even more to blame than you do. He keeps calling himself 'the Worm,' or 'the Bait.' And every now and again, he gets this weird look in his eye... and he says something about revenge."

Robin tilted his head, worried. "Revenge? Beast Boy?"

"I know, it sounds weird. But this must have really gotten to him for him to start talking like... that."

"That's for sure. Beast Boy... Jesus. I can hardly imagine what must be going through his head. To witness all of that... Christ..."

The two teens nodded in understanding, turning once again to look at Raven in silence. Only the hissing of the respirator and the blips of the machinery provided any sort of soundtrack. Robin turned quickly back to his friend. "How are _you_ doing, by the way? In all of this mess, I forgot to ask. I'm very sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, man. Trying times and all. I'm doing alright, I guess. As good as I can be. It was incredibly hard operating on my friend, especially for a traumatic head wound. It was even harder to tell all of my other friends that she's in a coma. But I just kinda... go numb. I try not to feel anything. It's one of the benefits of being partially machine." He offered a hollow smile, and Robin tried to smile back, faltering. "I only want two things right now. I want Raven to wake up and be okay. And I want Gemini's ass in a cold steel jail until he's old enough to require diapers again." He offered a bitter laugh, and Robin's smile broadened.

"I couldn't agree more." came the reply from the masked teen. Checking his watch, Robin shook his head. "Jesus, look at the time. I should be getting some sleep as well. And you should, too. I want to go over some things tomorrow when everybody's rested."

"I'm gonna sit with Rae for a bit, but I'll go to bed soon. I promise. You have a good rest, okay?" offered Cyborg as he grabbed a chair nearby and sat by his injured friend's bedside.

"Yeah, you too. Night." Robin began to exit, but stopped and turned back. "Thank you, Cyborg. Honestly. I needed... I needed to hear what you told me. All of it."

Cyborg craned his neck to face his leader, smiling. "Hey, whenever you need a good kick in the ass to right yourself, I'm your man." He chuckled, and Robin allowed himself a real smile this time.

"I'll keep that in mind. Good night."

"Good night, man."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost noon when the Titans finally woke up. The previous day's events had taken such a harsh toll on them they still seemed exhausted when they took their places on the couch at around one in the afternoon. Starfire sat at the far left, yawning, with a stonefaced Beast Boy to her right. Cyborg rounded out the sitting group, his hands cradled behind his head as he stared at the wall, expressionless. Robin stood before them, his arms folded on his chest.

"Okay, well... I know we're all still rattled from what happened yesterday..." he began.

"Gee, observant much?" mumbled Beast Boy under his breath. Robin ignored him and continued.

"Like I said, we're all a little rattled. But we have to soldier on. So I've got a new battle plan designed for when Gemini strikes again."

Beast Boy raised his hand. "What do you mean 'when Gemini strikes again?' That implies we'll just be sitting on our asses waiting for something to happen. Shouldn't we be doing something active?"

"Well, I was going to suggest we launch a mission this afternoon to search for him. I figured we could try that weird hotel downtown again..."

"That's not good enough. The city is just too big. And he can teleport. If he wants to stay hidden, he can do it. The only way we'd find him is when we wanted to be found."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I think we should set a trap for him."

Robin recoiled, perplexed. "A trap? How would we do that?"

"Well, I mean, I haven't worked out the details yet. It would be downtown, and..."

"No, no, no. The concept is too risky. Civilians might get hurt. Somebody might get killed."

The changeling stood up, shaking his head. "If we do this properly, nobody's going to get killed. Except the asshole in the red belt."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He did something unthinkable, Robin. He's committed a heinous crime. One I will never forgive. And he deserves to be punished accordingly. He almost killed Raven. He let me know he intends to destroy us. And he's openly told us he's going to torture us before he annihilates us. If we kill him, we won't have to worry about him ever again."

Robin's eyes were wide. "I... I can't believe you're saying this. We're not going to kill anybody. That's not justice..."

"You're right. It's revenge. And I think it's owed to us."

The group sat and stood in complete silence for a few minutes. Beast Boy and Robin stared into each other's eyes, their looks as cold as ice. Cyborg continued to stare at the wall blankly while Starfire looked nervously between her leader and her friend.

"Please... we can't behave this way... Not now..." pleaded Starfire quietly. The duo turned to look at her.

Beast Boy gave her a soft look. "I'm sorry, Star. But after what I saw yesterday, my mind is made up. We have to do this."

"We have to do something, yes, but nothing this dangerous..." began the caped teen.

"I wasn't talking to you, Robin!"

"I don't care. I didn't want to have to play this card, Beast Boy, but... I'm your leader..."

"That's also a mystery to me."

Robin recoiled in horror. "Beast Boy! I don't like your tone. And I definitely don't like your behaviour. Listen, once and for all: we're not going to set a trap. We're not going to kill anybody. That is an order."

The shapeshifter sniffed, crossing his arms. "Tell you what, why don't we vote on it? I'll make you a deal: if I'm completely alone on this one, I'll go along with whatever you say."

Robin stared at his ally long and hard. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. Let's do it now. Who votes we do a search and formulate a battle plan?"

The Boy Wonder raised his hand, and Starfire's hand slowly lifted into the air. The trio looked at the cybernetic hybrid sitting on the far right, still staring straight ahead, almost as if he was in a trance.

"Well, Cyborg? What's it going to be?"

Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality, the hybrid teen looked from his leader to his green friend and back again. Cyborg then looked at the ground, sighing before he spoke. "I don't want to kill anybody." Robin gave Beast Boy a smug look. "But I don't want to just wait around or leave us vulnerable out in the open, either. I think we should set a trap." Beast Boy returned Robin's look with a grin of his own.

"So it's deadlocked. Fine. Whatever." spat Robin. The group was left in silence yet again. Nobody looked at each other this time, nobody dared say anything.

"Friends, this is getting us nowhere positive. What if we were to take a break and discuss this again later? Perhaps in an hour? I think stepping outside to breathe in the fresh air might do us all a wonder." put forward Starfire cautiously. She eyed the two stubborn teens standing before her.

"I'm not going to change my mind. But I'll do it anyway. I could use a breather." explained Beast Boy, turning quickly and storming off into the hallway and disappearing.

Cyborg stood up slowly, his lips pursed. "No, uh, hard feelings, right man?" he asked the Boy Wonder with an apologetic look.

Robin snorted and just looked at him. "Yeah. Right. Whatever." he mumbled, shaking his head. Cyborg sighed and walked off in the same direction as Beast Boy. Starfire stood up and put an arm around her love.

"I know you feel terrible about yesterday, but you should not be taking such emotions out on your teamates. Especially since they are also your friends." she chastised, giving him a squeeze.

"I know, I know. This isn't the time to be divided, though. We should be presenting a unified front."

"Sometimes unification can come through compromise."

"Yeah, I thought about that, too. But what they're suggesting is way too dangerous. We can't trust the Gemini at all. Not after we've seen what he's willing to do to us." He coughed, clearing his throat after speaking those words. Starfire thought she heard him stifle a sob. "If we're going to deal with him, it has to be in a safe environment. I'm not talking about recklessly wandering the streets, I'm talking about a careful and coordinated search, done with the utmost secrecy. We have to find him, surprise him, and strike. Not _lure_ him. There are too many uncertainties."

"There will always be uncertainties, my friend. You cannot expect to have a plan for everything." She gave him another squeeze, looking into his face and grinning. She kissed his forehead lightly and blushed, looking into his eyes. Robin nodded, and returned the alien's embrace silently.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe him. This is so typical. He's obsessed and he won't listen to any of us! Especially not me. 'Ohhh, Beast Boy's funny, he's just a joke, he can't have any good ideas.' Fucker. I can't believe him." The changeling was pacing back and forth outside in a nearby garden. With his frantic speed, his cybernetic friend was surprised he hadn't worn a groove into the soft dirt beneath his feet.

"Chill out, man. I agree, he's acting blindly. But we gotta be level headed about this. If we're gonna set a trap, it's gonna have to be completely planned out. One wrong move, and somebody's dead." Cyborg explained while sitting on a nearby bench, turning his communicator over in his hands thoughtfully.

"For the last time, I know that! So I don't have a plan yet. Big deal. Together, we can come up with something completely kickass. We'll lure that teleporting bastard out into the open and BAM!" Beast Boy brought a fist hard into his palm, a devilish grin on his face. Cyborg frowned.

"Look, man. I'm all for the plan. But the way you're talking, the way you keep saying you want him dead. I don't want any blood on my hands, dude."

The shapeshifter raised his hands in surrender, his face completely serious. "Fine, hey, that's fine. I'm just saying, whatever happens, happens."

A worried expression came over the older teen's face. "You feelin' okay, man? You're... you're not quite yourself. Usually this kinda intensity comes from Robin, not you."

Doing a cartwheel in front his friend, Beast Boy jumped up and struck a pose. "I've never felt more level-headed in my life, dude. Everything now seems clearer than ever. I've learned a great lesson, and I plan to take it to heart. He who sows misery, reaps fury."

Cyborg paused, eyeing the green teen cautiously. "That's... a remarkably grim quote coming from you."

"Get used to it. Until this bastard is finished, things're gonna be pretty grim." Beast Boy broke the mood by blushing and offering a smile. "Also, I, uh, got it from an episode of Clash of the Planets." he confessed.

"Ah. I should have guessed."

"It's a good one, too. It's the one where the rebels..."

"That's, uh, that's okay, man. What do you say we go back and try to talk some sense into Robin?"

"What would you say if I told you we didn't have to go back?"

Cyborg scratched his head. "What are you talking about? I'm not sure I like where this is headed..."

"What if I told you we were going to do all of this on our own..."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Forget Robin! You know him, he's not going to bend. We're plenty capable of taking care of ourselves. Hell, you've left the team over lesser circumstances."

Cyborg's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Hey, sorry, dude. I just seem to recall you've quit our team... twice, is it?"

"This is a different context completely."

"Still, you've done it before. What's the big deal if we both leave this time?"

"Because... well... Well, we need the other two if we're going to execute the plan properly."

"But they're not even going to go for the plan in the first place. Look, what do we have to lose? We've got a friend near-death in a coma and a madman loose in the city. I know we can do this together, just the two of us. With the right plan, we won't need Starfire or Robin at all!"

Cyborg took a deep breath, looking away from his friend. He turned to look up at the Tower, lost in thought. Beast Boy stared at him eagerly, waiting for a response with bated breath.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking." Cyborg sighed again. "Look, if we're going to do this, I want you to promise me that it'll be us working together. I don't want you springing some scheme on me at the last minute and everything going to hell as a result. I trust you, man. That's why I'll do it. But you gotta promise me it's going to be an equal partnership. That's the _only_ way I will do it."

Beast Boy raised his right hand, three fingers pointed skyward. "Scout's honour."

"You were never a scout."

"Alright, alright. BB's honour."

"That'll do. I guess." The duo shook hands. "One last thing to remember: we're doing this for Raven."

The green lad nodded, his features completely serious. "Of course. Just thinking about what that piece of shit did to her..."

Not wanting to be disturbed by his friend again, Cyborg interrupted him. "I understand, man. There's just one other thing I want that I should have mentioned earlier. The second this guy is behind bars, we're going back to the Titans." A worried look came over his face. "If they'll, uh, take us back..."

"Hey, we let you back before, right? OW! Don't squeeze my hand so hard!" Beast Boy's face twisted with the pain. Cyborg let go of his hand.

"Sorry, man. Guess my hand slipped." Cyborg said, his tone lacking emotion.

Beast Boy sighed. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean it. I was just trying to lighten the mood..."

"I appreciate it. But that was cold."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know. I accept the apology. Now come on, if we're going to go ahead and do this, we'd better go tell Robin and Starfire now."

"What? No! We've got to just leave!"

"'Just leave?' We can't just _go_!"

"Why not?"

"Because our _friends_ might want to know what we're doing."

"They'll just try and stop us, dude. Why don't we just leave them a note instead?"

Cyborg held his head in his hands, groaning. "I can't believe I'm even doing this, but... fine. You write the note, I'll leave it for them. Then let's get moving. We've got to figure something out before he strikes again and we're stuck fighting him on his terms again." The changeling nodded, then went inside to find a pad and pencil.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Those two have been gone for over an hour by now. Think we should check up on them?" queried Robin, concerned. The Tamaranian girl nodded, and they left the main room to check outside. Finding nobody, they returned to the interior of the Tower, displeased.

"I can't believe them! They're off goofing around and... Fuck, this is serious!" ranted Robin, stopping when he noticed a note pinned to his door. He removed it and read it quickly, then dropped it, the sheet floating slowly to the ground. A dumbstruck expression had been slapped on the Boy Wonder's face. Starfire's eyes went wide, and she picked up the tiny scrap of paper from the floor, reading the words aloud.

"Dear friends. I'm sorry that it has to come to this, but Cyborg and I believe that making things right depends on working in a less rigid environment. With the stakes so high, and a very good friend already wounded, we cannot afford to take anymore risks. We must fight our enemy on our terms, not his. We know that Robin's obsessive nature will not allow for compromise. Therefore, we are taking it upon ourselves to take the battle to our enemy. We are taking a..." She paused, squinting.

"The word is 'temporary.' It doesn't look like it. But that's what he means." mumbled Robin, still in awe.

"Thank you. A temporary leave of..." she winced before speaking. "...of absence until our current enemy is defeated. We don't wish to work against you. But we currently see no other options." She frowned. "Please try to understand. Again, we're sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but the past 24 hours have made us realize that there is no other way, and there is no more time left to waste. Your friend, Beast Boy." Starfire raised her head to look at her friend and leader, who was rubbing his temples and sighing.

"I can't believe them. Selfish bastards."

"Well, perhaps if we go and talk to them, they will reconsider."

"No. They made their bed, let them lie in it. This is what they want, fine. If they're so confident, if they're so sure that is the 'only way,' then fine." The masked teen's voice dripped with a bitter venom.

The red-headed alien bit her lip before pushing further. "Friend Robin... you and I both know they mean us no ill will. We are also quite aware that we need them for this mission."

"No, we don't. I don't need anybody. _We_ don't need anybody. They'd just get in the way." Robin turned swiftly and began to storm off towards the exercise room, shaking his head.

"You know that is not true! You value this team just as much as anybody else. You know that justice cannot be served with such limited resources!" called Starfire after the stubborn leader. His pace slowed for just a moment before he continued on his way, his stride picking up the closer he got to the elevator.

It was Star's turn to sigh now, and she slouched, crossing her arms. "It should not be like this." She looked to her left, further down the hall to the infirmary where her friend was currently laying in a coma, and held back tears. "Friend Raven, by X'hal, please wake up... I do not know how much more of this I can take."

With that, she made the way to her room, seeking to drown her sorrows. How, she did not know.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miles away, a dark figure was sitting in a battered steel chair in the middle of a dimly lit room. Before him sat a small desk with a black box on it, and a cord led from the box to a headset on the figure's scalp. Sitting hunched forward in a ghoulish posture, headphones pressed firmly against his ears, the Gemini was laughing to himself as he processed the incoming information. Finally, he reached forward and flipped a switch on the black box, removing his headset shortly afterward and standing up. He stretched, still chuckling.

"Oh, it all sounds like showtunes to my ears. It's like a wonderfully disjointed comedy of errors, every scene nothing but choreographed chaos and confusion! Everyone is playing their roles to perfection. The cast is being eaten by the play." mumbled Gemini to himself, smiling. "I never thought things would go this well. I feel like I should pat myself on the back or give myself an Oscar. I'm such a great director."

Pulling off his mask and removing his mirrored goggles, the figure made his way across the shaded room towards five practice dummies tucked away in the far corner.

"Of course, I would never actually accept any awards. Accepting something from an established institution would just make me a hypocrite. No, I'll step back from society and enjoy my guerrilla theatre, thank you very much, dancing with glee as the stage collapses and everything around me falls apart."

Grabbing a dummy dressed immaculately like Starfire, he proceeded to tear its head off. Holding the head in his hands like a quarterback, he spun around quickly and hurled it across the room like a football. His eyes followed it with a grim determination, his right hand caressing his knuckles as he tracked the hunk of gnarled plastic. It bounced several times before it finally rolled to a stop by the door. The piece lay still for several seconds before he snapped out of his trance and launched a small black disk towards the severed head, slicing it neatly in half. He rubbed his chin for a second, then proceeded to tear the head off of the figured patterned after Robin, throwing it again across the room. This time, he quickly launched three disks as the head was drifting in midair. Three neatly spliced pieces of plastic plopped to the ground seconds later. He nodded, clearly pleased. Gemini let out a pleased noise before he finally spoke.

"But despite everything that's happened today, the time for fun is over. Now it is time to go on the offensive again."

**TO BE CONTINUED... Stay tuned for the excitement of Chapter 3... "A Visitor!"**


	3. A Visitor

**Here were are, Chapter 3... I'll try for Chapter 4 as soon as possible, although this week's going to be a bit hectic for me. But don't worry, I guarantee I won't leave you hanging. Very special thanks to last chapter's comments. I found them to be very constructive, and they helped me to better sculpt how I wanted this story to progress. I'm very pleased to see so many people taking an interest in this story!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 3: A Visitor

"It's all very simple, really." began Gemini, attaching the bright red belt to his waist and waiting for the click. Nodding, he continued.

"Divide and conquer. Although it all starts out the same way, of course. You analyze your enemies, you study them. You pinpoint their strengths and their weaknesses. These things are all very important. But above all, a united enemy is a dangerous enemy. It is a legitimate threat... Five people working together, acting together... The odds are against one man. So you change the dynamics, you add some emotion... and you divide your foe. It's like... did you ever played Jenga?"

He turned to his right, but there was nobody there.

"No, of course not. Truth be told, I didn't either. But I remember the point of the game from my childhood. Basically, you build a tower out of these rectangular blocks, and then you remove the pieces slowly but surely until finally, somebody makes a mistake... and the entire structure falls apart. With humorous results, I might add."

He pulled his mask on before continuing. Having an epiphany, he suddenly thrust an index finger into the air.

"Or a house of cards! Yes, a much better analogy. The idea remains the same, though. The whole complex structure looks secure until you remove one tiny piece, and everything collapses. The biggest advantage in this particular situation stems from the Titans' social structure itself. Their alliance is completely rudimentary. These people seem to have been just tossed together and told to work as a team. They barely seem to know each other--although some better than others--and they're expected to be allies? The fact that they've survived this long is certainly a testament to their commitment to teamwork, but I can't help but feel there may be other factors to consider. Perhaps their previous enemies have lacked... creativity?"

Gemini walked across the room, picking his goggles up off of his desk. He attached them securely to his face.

"You can't just do the same thing over and over again and expect to succeed. This isn't a Saturday Morning Cartoon. I'm not Megatron. Your enemy will always adapt, no matter how minutely. So your plan must _also_ change constantly. Even if you think you can defeat an entire band of adversaries by yourself... If you don't adapt your own strategy, you are doomed to failure. And maybe I am wrong and other enemies have been resourceful against the Titans. There's Slade, of course. But I don't think you can defeat a unified band of superpowered heroes on your own no matter how good you think you are. So first you divide... and then you can conquer"

He admired himself in a fullsized mirror, allowing himself a smile. "God, I just _look_ like a villain, don't I? I practically scream it!"

He turned once again to his right, addressing the darkness.

"Yes, yes. You do as well. Clothes make the man, as they say." He chuckled to himself before walking back over to his desk, picking up a vest and sliding it over his arms. He checked his watch before cursing.

"I'm late for a very important date. We'll continue this conversation later." he said, and promptly disappeared.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shapeshifter stared out the window of the loft in an abandoned building far across town. He looked out over the city, admiring the colours and lights flickering on one by one as dusk approached.

"I remember watching the Olympics once when I was younger," he whispered. "And the announcer referred to the city--I think it was Barcelona--in the nighttime as a shimmering jewel. I thought that was pretty cool. Very poetic. But that's a great description for cities like Barcelona, I guess. Jump City is a different story. This city isn't a sparkling gem. This city is the shining light of one of those fish that live deep in the ocean where the sun's light can never reach. It's beautiful and attractive, yeah, but once you're drawn into it, you are devoured by the beast hiding in the darkness. The light is a tool. The light is a trap."

"Did you say something?" asked Cyborg, looking up from a set of blueprints he was examining on a nearby drawing board.

Beast Boy sighed. "I was just... I was just venting again."

"You should get some more sleep, man. You're starting to worry me."

"Yeah, I'm worrying about me, too. I think I'm gonna go the roof and try to relax. I'm going stir crazy being cooped up in this room."

"Sounds cool. We should get up early tomorrow, though, and go over some ideas for a plan. I think I've worked out the beginning of something."

"Great! I've been mulling some ideas over in my head, too. We'll do that tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me, I need some air."

"Later, man."

"Later." Beast Boy's boots creaked on the warped wooden stairs. Moments later, there was the loud screeching of rusted metal hinges and then a slamming noise.

Cyborg shook his head. _That boy's losing it._

The night had finally fallen over Jump City completely at this point, the severe darkness of the moonless sky contrasted greatly with the blinking and flashing from the streets below. Beast Boy sat on the ledge of the building, looking as far as he could. He drank in the sounds of the city. The laughter, the cries, the squealing tires, the threats, the swearing, the breaking glass. It was as if the disappearance of light from above brought a curse upon the land every evening. He sat there almost admiring it. It all seemed to be progressing so naturally.

"It's a wasteland. But it's _your_ wasteland, right?" came a voice from behind him, eerily familiar.

"Yeah. I hear ya. It's complicated. But I wouldn't live anywhere else."

"I understand. I've often thought that myself."

"Cool." he replied, the voice's origin slowly dawning on him. He began to shake, and tried to hide it.

"So this plan of yours... are you sure this is the best idea?"

Beast Boy's eyes stopped focusing on the city before him. Dazed, he turned around slowly, placing his feet back onto the safety of the building's concrete roof. Looking straight ahead, he refused to believe this eyes were in focus again. It didn't make sense. Directly in front of him, hands on her hips, stood Raven.

"Raven... You're... you're awake?" he stammered, shock quaking his body.

"You could say that. But that's not really important right now. I just want to know why you've left Robin and Starfire out in the cold."

Beast Boy was speechless. Reeling, he shook his head. "Um, well.. you see... um... er..."

"Another eloquent speech, Beast Boy. You're improving." she quipped dryly.

He gave her a weird look. "Give me a break. I'm just trying to get used to this. Are you, like, projecting yourself or something?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure, why not? Stop avoiding my question."

"Right, right. Sorry. I didn't leave them out in the cold, though. They're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Robin wants to do his plan, and I want to do mine. What's wrong with that? We're both looking for justice."

"Seems to me you're looking for vengeance, not justice."

"So people keep telling me. What's the difference?"

"What you want to do is arbitrary. It's personal. Somebody has affected you emotionally, and you're looking for a quick and easy solution. Justice is greater than that. I agree this guy should be punished. And part of me... part of me is pretty keen on the idea that this guy should die. Mind you, that could be the coma talking. But I also recognize that none of this is up to us to decide. We have to stop him. But justice is bigger than just our decisions."

Beast Boy looked at the ground, avoiding her violet orbs. "Our job, above everything else, is to keep this city safe. To keep the world safe. Because of what this guy did, we couldn't even keep each other safe." He bit his lip, fighting off tears. "I'm just... speeding up the process. Look, I don't even know if I want to kill him anymore. But I still think I'm doing what's best. This is the best way to stop him."

Raven's eyes grew wide. "That's some pretty strict logic. You honestly believe this?"

"You know Robin. He's too stubborn to listen to anybody else. What he's proposing just isn't active. It could only lead to more misery."

Raven nodded. "You do have a point. But, Beast Boy... if you want to see someone being stubborn... perhaps you should look in the mirror." He flinched at those words, his eyes still cast upon the ground. She continued. "Do what you want. I'm clearly not physically able to stop you, and if your mind is set on it, so be it. So long as justice is served, it's okay. But be careful that such a black-and-white way of viewing the world doesn't get you hurt. If you stop the Gemini, but you sacrifice the team to do so, have you really won?"

The changeling nodded slowly, finally look up into the gothic apparition's eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I hope you will. Listen, I can't stay long. I just wanted to check up on you. I'll be keeping a close watch over you guys. Until again..."

"Wait!" he shouted, reaching out towards the cloaked figure as she began to disappear before him.

"What? What is it?"

"Umm... Rae? I'm... I'm really sorry... about everything."

"I don't quite follow..."

"I failed you, Raven. I'm the reason you're... you're..."

"Comatose?"

He winced, it wasn't how she said it... but it was the cold hard truth of the statement. "Yeah. I'm really sorry about all of this. I'm doing this for you."

"Beast Boy... I'm flattered, really. But... You're as much a victim in all of this as I am. You didn't know what Gemini was using you for. There was nothing you could have done. Stop driving yourself crazy."

"I still feel guilty. But it's really good to hear this." He paused and blushed before continuing. "I feel really silly asking you this, but... before you go... I couldn't... I couldn't get a hug, could I?"

Raven smiled, shaking her head. "You're right, that is silly." The green lad before her looked sheepish. "But, hey... why not? Don't tell anybody, though."

The shapeshifter beamed and stepped forward, trying to embrace her. Walking through her, he blushed. "Not as easy as it looks..." he mumbled, embarrassed.

She smiled. "It's okay." She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him. He felt nothing, but just looking down and seeing her face again, alive and aware, made him feel better. He stretched out his arms, trying to hug the phantom before him.

After a few seconds, Raven stepped back. "I do have to go. You guys be careful. And watch out for Robin and Starfire!"

"I will."

"Until we meet again."

"Be seeing you. Thank you."

She vanished slowly, smiling softly as she did. She seemed as if she was in a lot of pain, but wished to hide it from him. He held back tears as she disappeared, pursing his lips and holding his breath until long after she was gone. He stood there on the roof for several minutes, staring in the direction she had been standing in, not moving. Finally, he scratched his neck and yawned. Still dazed, he made his back to the loft.

"Hey. You were gone for a while." came the call from Cyborg. He was slumped over the drawing table, his eyes half-closed.

"Yeah... You know how it is... I was talking to Raven for a bit."

There was an awkward pause for a few seconds.

"Um. What?"

"Raven appeared to me on the rooftop."

"Oh. So. What did you guys talk about?" Cyborg's tone was clearly one of disbelief.

"Look, I can't explain it either, okay? I think she must have been able to use her... astral... projection... ability thing to appear to me. I couldn't touch her or anything."

"No, no... you can't touch hallucinations."

"Excuse me? You think I'm crazy or something?"

"No! No, I don't think you're crazy, Beebs. I just... think maybe you're just... exhausted. And stressed out. I can see how maybe you'd want to talk to Raven so badly that... your mind would make it possible, y'know?"

Beast Boy stared at Cyborg coldly. "I can't believe you said that. I can't believe it." he hissed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to hurt you, man. Maybe it _was_ her. I'm just--"

Fists balled by his sides, the changeling exploded, interrupting him. "_NO!_ It was her, trust me. It was Raven!" spat Beast Boy, his tone like iron.

"Okay, okay! I'm wrong, okay? I don't know half of Raven's powers, so this isn't outside the realm of possibility. Let's just cool down, alright?"

The awkward lull returned quickly, the two simply staring at each other. Cyborg broke the ice after what felt like an eternity. "So what did she have to say?"

"Well, basically she wants us to be careful about Robin and Starfire. You know, she says this isn't worth ruining a team over."

"She's right. It's not worth ruining friendships."

"Yeah... And we talked about the whole revenge concept. She made a good point. I'm renouncing my plan to kill him."

"Great! I'm glad to hear that, man. I really am. Now how's about you renounce your plan to stop sleeping and hit the hay? I'm wiped."

Beast Boy laughed, and the duo slapped hands. "Sounds good to me, dude."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lights were off completely in Starfire's room. She sat on her bed in the darkness, cradling Silkie in her arms, staring straight ahead and trying not to cry. She tickled the tremendous larva's chin, sighing every now and again. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion as she continued reflecting. Over and over again in her mind's eye events repeated themselves. She kept looking for some kind of key to unlock this puzzle and bring everything back to the way it should be. But she couldn't find anything. It was like watching a disturbing horror movie back-to-back-to-back and hoping each time that there would be a happy ending. She knew this wasn't over, but morale was at a low point after everything she'd been through.

Her thoughts began to drift as she sat in blackness. _Nothing I have done, nothing I have said has been effective. Raven is in an extended state of sleep. Beast Boy and Cyborg have abandoned us, and Robin acts like he does not care. This is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. We must be concentrating on defeating this great evil that has slipped into our world. I just wish I could fall asleep and wake up and find out everything was just a horrible dream._

A knock at the door drove her from her despair. She paused before calling out.

"Who is it?" her tone was flat and cold. Completely alien sounds to the body on the other side.

"It's me, Robin. Can I come in?"

"Yes." She didn't move to open the door for him. As he entered, she didn't move. Only her index finger wiggling on Silkie's skin betrayed her appearance as an animated object. Her eyes tracked the figure out of interest. "Hello." she said in a hollow voice.

"Look, I've just been thinking a lot... while I was working out. And I... well... This isn't easy for me to say. Star... I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not listening to you and just storming off. I was... upset. I should have gone after Cyborg and Beast Boy. I get a little... wrapped up in myself sometimes."

Star offered a meek smile. "I know what you mean. Your emotions were rather... intense today."

The Boy Wonder nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, and I should have listened to _them_. But I'm going to make things right. I'm going to try and contact them and see if we can work on some sort of... compromise. Who knows, maybe a trap could work. Fighting him on our terms would be a great idea. We'd just have to be very careful as to how we did it."

"It would indeed be a great benefit."

The two paused when they heard a dull rumbling, almost like a bass line.

"Do... do you hear that?" asked Robin, scrunching his face up.

"I am receiving it... but I have no idea what it could be."

The duo exchanged a worried look before standing up and exiting Starfire's room. Making their way down the hall, they finally came into the main room, and discovered the source of the noise.

Standing in front of the couch, slamming two metal tubes on the table and stamping his feet rhythmically, was the Gemini. As they drew closer, they began to realize he was also chanting. With his ethereal voice, the chant took on an almost mystical quality despite its simplicity.

"The ship is sinking... The ship is sinking!" he droned, slamming the tubes down with every beat. He stopped suddenly and spun on his heels to face his adversaries.

"Gemini!" cried Robin, reacting quickly and tossing a boomerang in his direction.

"Hello!" shouted the dark clad foe, teleporting to safety and reappearing on the kitchen counter. Starfire launched two starbolts in his direction, nailing him in the chest before he could react. He fell backwards, ricocheting off the wall and tumbling to the ground with a thud. Robin lept forward to strike, attempting to drive his heel into the prone villain's head. Gemini rolled out of the way of the attack, and swept Robin off of his feet with a well-timed kick. Starfire lunged at the masked foe, grabbing him by the neck and slamming his head into the counter.

"Fuck this..." gasped the villain, teleporting behind her and dropkicking the Tamaranian in the back. Starfire fell on top of Robin, and the two got caught up in an entanglement of limbs.

"Where are the other two? The ugly green thing and the big metal contraption?"

Robin cried out in anger, flicking a small black disk in his direction. Gemini caught it easily, but Robin smirked as it detonated in his enemy's hand, shredding it.

"FFUCK!" screamed Gemini, clutching his damaged fist and doubling over. "I can't fucking believe I fucking did that! Fuck! Does not compute!"

Robin lept to his feet and launched a flying kick at his opponent, hitting him square in the chest and driving him into the wall. Stepping forward quickly to take advantage of his enemy's confused state, he grabbed the red belt around Gemini's waist.

"No... you don't..." grunted the deranged man in reply, grabbing Robin's hands with his massive left hand. Robin slammed a fist into his enemy's gut, but Gemini didn't even flinch. The two began to wrestle for control of the belt, Robin try to use the foe's damaged appendage as leverage. Finally, Starfire flew at the Gemini, grabbing hold of his hand and wrenching it from Robin's arms, elbowing him in the stomach in the process and stunning him. Robin proceeded to remove the belt, tossing it across the room onto the couch. Amazed by the villain's strength, both the Boy Wonder and Starfire held Gemini pinned against the wall while he struggled.

Robin's breathing was ragged, but his voice was steady. "Give it up... you've lost. You can't teleport anymore."

"My dear boy, I don't need to teleport to be elusive." came the reply, and the masked figure quickly sprang off his heels into the air, driving his feet into the two hero's skulls with the prowess of a gymnast. They dropped to the ground in pain, clutching their heads as the Gemini hopped across the room, reaching his belt in three quick strides. He clumsily reattached it to his waist, his right hand still severely crippled from the explosion. Upon hearing the satisfying click, he grinned a menacing grin.

"Did he give you my message? That little green thing, I mean." he spat, hurling a black disk across the room, nodding satisfactorily when it collided with Robin's head, leaving him groaning on the ground. "Did he tell you about how I'd break you all?" he flicked a second disk as he watched the alien move to defend her comrade, the cylinder colliding with Starfire's throat and leaving her gasping for breath.

"I meant it, every word. I have only just begun." The Gemini casually stepped forward as the two Titans writhed in agony on the ground. He walked over to Robin and landed a hard kick in his stomach.

"You... won't... win..." choked Starfire, her voice rasping as she struggled to speak. She launched a bolt of energy from her eyes, forcing the madman to dodge quickly. Firing again, she knocked him to the ground. He teleported away the second he landed.

Starfire slowly regained her footing, shaking as she slid against the wall for support. She walked over to her downed friend. "Robin? Speak to me!"

"Star... Is... is he gone?" came the weak reply as the Boy Wonder began to lift himself onto his hands and knees.

"He has vanished again... I do not know where he went..." she explained, her voice croaking as she helped him to his feet.

Robin stared at her as if from afar, offering a slight smile. "It's okay... We'll get him. Thanks."

Starfire began to return the smile when a familiar dark form reappeared behind her, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her close to his muscular body, clutching her throat tightly with his left hand and drawing her arms underneath his, pinning her.

"NO!" cried Robin. Starfire squeaked in terror.

"You're very welcome, Robin dear. This was brief, but fun. You've adapted. I admire that, I think that's just... great. But enough chatting. We'll be going now. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted on widdle Starfire's condition. I'll let you in on every sexy little detail." Gemini laughed as Starfire tried to struggle, finding herself unable to break free in her dazed and weakened state.

Releasing a battle cry of pure pent-up fury, Robin's hands were twisted almost into claws now, his eyes fused into a furrow of hatred. His jaw was tightly locked as he lept towards his foe once more, only to find both his love and his enemy disappear before he could touch them. He crashed to the ground and rolled forward from the momentum, coming to a stop face-up, staring at the ceiling.

He laid there for a minute, taking in the silence and staring at the void above him. Finally, he brought himself to his knees, and stood up. Casually reaching into his pocket, he drew out his communicator. Flipping it open, he hoped for the impossible.

"Robin to Beast Boy. _Please_ come in. Robin to Beast Boy..."

**TO BE CONTINUED in Chapter 4... "We All Fall Down."**


	4. We All Fall Down

**A bit of an announcement to make before we begin. I was so pleased with the positive response to "Halloweenies" that a sequel is being planned, tentatively entitled "The After Party." It'll explore our favourite Titans' relationships a little further. Just to clarify, the in-joke I referenced in that particular story stems from when Raven admits she wouldn't make a good cartoon princess. The reference I was thinking of was that Raven's V.A., Tara Strong, also voices Princess Clara on "Drawn Together." Even though they didn't name this _specific_ role, Monogurui-hime was on the right track by guessing Raven's princess line, but noted Strong's performance in "The Little Mermaid II" instead. However, it _is_ Strong in a princess role, so Monogurui-hime** ** wins the cookie! Congratulations! (_Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery._ _AMZ's cookies aren't right for everyone, and may cause bloating, cramping, hairloss, disturbing visions, fits of rage and the growth of additional eyes. _****_If you experience trouble meditating, stop eating AMZ's cookies and consult your ancient scrolls immediately_). **

**Thanks again for the comments on these fics, everybody. They've helped make this a fun escape from the tests and papers that have been giving me a headache all week.**

**Now, on to "Revenge." As an interesting note, this is officially the longest chapter I have ever written! This chapter is also pretty grim, but that also made it fun to work on. Trying to push the limits without going overboard makes things pretty interesting. It is always darkest before the dawn, as the saying goes... and I believe dawn is about to break.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. **

Chapter 4: We All Fall Down

Starfire blinked rapidly, jarred awake and startled by the sudden rush of bright light onto her face. She immediately tried to hide her eyes but found herself bound to a metal chair, unable to move her limbs at all. With the exception of the lamp pointed at her face, the rest of the room appeared to be in total darkness. She tried to remember just _what_ had happened to her, and it was slowly fading back to her. Like surfacing for air after being dropped into a deep and constantly moving river.

"Are you awake?" came a voice from behind the light. Starfire whimpered, dazed. "Ahh. Good. Can I offer you a drink?"

"N-no..." stammered Starfire, trying to place the voice. It sounded strange... barely human. It sounded hollow, and there was too much echo.

"I wasn't talking to you!" the voice snapped at her.

She flinched, crying out again. "Where am I? What is going on? What do you want?"

His voice was a threatening bark. "Information! And we'll get it! By hook or by crook, we'll get it! Now hurry up and talk! We don't have all day!"

The Tamaranian began to twitching, trying hard to spare him the victory of seeing her cry. A deep laugh followed, and Starfire could make out footsteps.

"I'm only kidding. We _do_ have all day. And I don't need information. I have much bigger plans for you."

"Listen... I... I do not know what is going on, but... my friends will be coming for me. Very soon, I imagine. Just let me go, and..."

He cut her off quickly. "Your friends aren't coming. If you'll remember, one of them is brain dead."

There was that harsh laugh again as Starfire's eyes grew wide with recognition. The entire jigsaw puzzle pieced itself together instantly in her mind. Her fear was still present, but was slowly being replaced with hatred.

"I told you she was a bit off." the familiar voice in the dark said. Nobody replied.

"You... you are the Gemini..." hissed Starfire.

"Guilty as charged." came the reply. He sounded very pleased with himself.

"You are the vile monster who will pay dearly for his crimes!"

There was a tsk-tsk sound. "I think you have me confused with somebody else."

The Tamaranian growled in anger. Grunting, she began to struggle to remove her restraints.

"Viddy well, little sister. I didn't want to have to do this."

A needle shot into Starfire's arm, and she cried out in surprise. She felt a cool liquid pour into her appendage, and a pressure rushing through her extremities. She found her eyelids begin to grow heavy. Her head slumped forward outside of her control.

As even the bright light faded from her vision, she heard his voice droning on. "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The footsteps echoed through Titans' Tower's immense labyrinth of halls. The two teens entered the familiar room, taking in their leader standing before them. Cyborg shook Robin's outstretched hand.

"We came as soon as we heard."

"Thanks. I mean that, thank you both. I really need you guys right now. I'll do anything at this point." explained Robin, his voice hoarse and tired.

Beast Boy looked unimpressed, and flopped down on the couch.

Cyborg sighed. "B.B., come on. Remember what she told you."

Beast Boy shook his head. "You're right." he said, standing up and moving to shake his leader's hand. "I'm sorry. I'm glad you're willing to hear us out again."

"Thanks. So, um, who's this 'she?' Did you guys uncover another ally? Like Kole or Bumblebee or somebody?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged glances, looking worried. "Not exactly. I kinda had a talk with Raven last night." the shapeshifter admitted.

Robin blinked. "I... see." The trio stared at one another for what felt like hours. Beast Boy shifted in place, very uncomfortable.

"So... she's able to project herself despite her condition?" The Boy Wonder finally asked, and relief fell over the three boys.

"Yeah. Sounds about right. She wasn't, uh, she wasn't really clear." explained Beast Boy, scratching his cheek nervously.

Nodding, Robin clapped his hands together. "Okay, down to business. You guys have the plan. You guys have a trap. I'll do everything in my power to help."

Beast Boy stared at his leader in surprise, and turned to his metallic comrade, who looked just as stunned.

"That's great news, man. Beebs and I have been hashing things together for most of this morning. Getting you involved makes things a lot easier." Cy said. Beast Boy looked uncomfortable with the last sentence, but said nothing. The hulking teen continued. "Basically, we call him out. We'll get you to make an ultimatum on television. You tell him you'll meet him in a public place. The park, maybe. Or maybe the city square. We'll work that out in time. So, anyway, green bean and I will take up positions in nearby buildings, using the subway system or the sewers to gain entrance to said buildings to ensure we're not followed or spotted. He's gonna suspect a trap, yeah. But if we play our cards right, he won't see our hand until the very end."

Robin scratched his chin. "It's... it's a good start, yeah. I like it." Cy raised an eyebrow, and accepted the compliment.

Beast Boy leaned in, very enthusiastic. "You told us you injured him?"

His leader smiled. "Yeah. It was a Pyrrhic victory, sure. But I blew his fucking hand off." Beast Boy raised his right hand, and Robin slapped it after a brief bout of confusion.

"Blew his fucking hand off!" cried B.B., clearly pleased. He thumped a fist into his thigh. "He's human. He's vulnerable, just like anybody else! If we can just get that belt away from him permanently, he's ours." He raised his fist in front of his face, and the two teens in front of the green lad exchanged curious looks as they noticed how tight his grip was.

Realizing this, Beast Boy opened his hand and let it drop to his side, grimacing. "But enough about that. Let's focus on furthering his pain. Cyborg, you go call as many television and radio stations as you can. Robin, let's figure out the best place to arrange a meeting to ensure he's the most disvantaged."

Robin looked puzzled. "Isn't there another way to contact him? Why are you guys so keen on putting this on the air?"

Cyborg grinned as he began to leave the room. "The Revolution will be televised." he declared before trodding down the hallway.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin's face was grainy and faded on the old television. Now and again the screen would flicker, but a quick slap returned the picture to normal. The sound wasn't the greatest, but the message was loud and clear.

"This is not a declaration of war. The Teen Titans wish to meet the terrorist known only as the Gemini at a safe, neutral spot, to discuss the safe return of one of our members. I will be the only Titan present, and wish only to further peace and prosperity and to ensure the health and safety of our captured friend and ally. If the Gemini is listening, if he is watching, then I implore him to meet me in Perez Square tomorrow at noon. Thank you." With a click from a nearby remote, the screen went black instantly.

The Gemini had a hand to his face, barely covering his mouth. His eyes stared at the blank screen, studying the dark void carefully.

Finally, he spoke. "I have to confess, I didn't see this one coming. What's he planning? There has to be more than just what he's saying here. What do you think?"

He paused, and appeared to be listening.

"That's a good point. And I agree, yes, but, like I've said before... the key here is to adapt. Our enemy has clearly adapted. So we must figure out where he's coming from... and adapt to meet him."

He stood slowly from his chair in front of his desk and walked over to the giant lamp in the corner. He flicked it on and a harsh yellow light flooded over his captive's face. As she began to stir, Gemini smiled.

"Well, he doesn't leave us much time, does he?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Tower seemed alien to Beast Boy, despite only having been gone a few days. The way he'd left, the way he'd chosen to leave, had left him feeling almost like the place was haunted now. He feel negative energy pulsing around him. Maybe it was the stress. Maybe it was the madness they'd all had to endure since the Gemini began his random onslaught. Whatever it was, he tread lightly as he made his way down the hall to the infirmary. The door slid open, and he paused before he entered.

Sitting in front of Raven, holding her hand and saying nothing, was his leader. Beast Boy paused to admire him, watching the scene carefully. Thinking again, he turned to leave.

"No. You can stay. Have a seat." called Robin, not moving, his eyes permanently fixed on Raven's oxygen mask-laden face.

The changeling paused and returned to the room, pulling up a chair and sitting next to his friend. Both watching over Raven, they sat in silence for a very long time. Beast Boy occasionally stole a glance at his leader, watching him carefully. Robin's face was like a stone carving, unmoving. The only feeling he could get from the Boy Wonder was determination. It was like he'd shut everything else in his mind off. He had rerouted the power to focus on one thing. The only thing that mattered.

Beast Boy was particularly startled when Robin finally spoke.

"What did she say to you?" he asked softly, cautiously. His head remained in its place. Only his lips had moved.

The shapeshifter was at a loss for words for a few seconds, a first for him. He recalled Raven's words, but he just didn't know what to say or even how to begin to say it. It was all so simple, it had been just a simple conversation. But he was convinced Robin would just think he was insane.

The leader sighed, finally turning to face his friend. "I know you're afraid. It's okay, really. If you think about it, we haven't actually had a chance to sit down and breathe, Beast Boy. We've been going full throttle since this all began. I'm not going to call you crazy or anything. I just want to hear what you have to say."

B.B. sighed before beginning. "Well... she was... cautionary, you know?" The leader nodded, and gestured for him to continue. "She wanted me to be careful with you and Starfire. She made it clear that beating him but destroying the team just wasn't worth it."

"That sounds like her."

Beast Boy smiled at that before going on. "She said some things about justice and vengeance. Kinda like you did." Robin smiled this time, and shook his head. The changeling continued, almost laughing now. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. She told me she's watching over us. The best she can, I guess."

"It sounds like you guys had a good talk."

"Yeah. " A disturbed look overcame the green Titan. He blurted his next sentence out like a confession. "I... I apologised for putting her in the coma in the first place. Well, I mean... you know..."

"I know what you mean."

Beast Boy nodded. "She said it wasn't my fault. And... part of me believes that. It's a _big_ part of me, yeah. But I just can't..."

"Survivor's guilt." blurted Robin, looking the shapeshifter right in the eyes.

"Huh?"

"Like surviving a plane crash, or a car accident, or, say, a psychopath's attack. You ask yourself, 'Why me? Why am I so lucky? How am I more special than anybody else?'"

"Yeah! That's it exactly!"

"It's very common. It'll be a while before you get over it. It's gonna be a long road. But you know what'll help?"

"What's that?"

Robin broke into a devious grin. "Breaking this piece of shit like a twig tomorrow." They high fived.

"Hell yes! I can't wait!"

"Me, too." He sighed. "I'm tired, Beast Boy. I'm tired of feeling afraid." His friend nodded. "I know I shouldn't get overconfident. But I think about tomorrow... and a part of me feels _right_ again."

Robin grew very quiet at that point, intensifying his focus of their wounded comrade. Beast Boy sat there, watching his leader as he brushed Raven's cheek, mumbling that he was sorry. Robin looked at the ceiling, tears in his eyes, as his low voice rumbled something that sounded like 'Starfire,' but B.B. continued his silence. He slowly stood up.

"I should get some sleep. I want to be prepared for tomorrow."

"Good thinking. I'll be going to bed soon, too. I just need a few moments with my thoughts." Robin commented.

The shapeshifter nodded and made his way out. Beast Boy left the room a little less worried than when he had come in.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were more lights in front of her now. At last count, it appeared there were four of them. Starfire was worried her emerald orbs would be burned from her skull as the intense brightness continued, unrelenting.

"SAY IT! SAY IT! READ IT OUT LOUD!" bellowed the Gemini, his form a shadow in front of the lights, his arm gesturing violently to the piece of paper in her lap.

"I cannot! Why must I do this?"

"READ IT!"

"I am not even sure what this means! I do not know what the point of all of this is! Why are you doing this to me?"

"Why? Why? Why? We're throwing the twenty-fifth letter of the Latin alphabet around a lot, aren't we? Just read it. I promise, I won't hurt you if you read it."

Starfire blinked, tears streaming down her face now. "Can I trust you?"

"No. But you don't really have a choice, do you?"

Starfire sniffed, and looked down at the paper once again. It was streaked with blobs of dark, stains coming from the droplets from her eyes. She took a deep, ragged breath and finally spoke in an uncharacteristic monotone. "'Meanwhile everyone wants to breathe and nobody can breathe and many say, 'We will breathe later.' And most of them don't die because they are already dead.'" She closed her eyes and sighed. "This makes no sense! What is wrong with you?" She screamed when a brief electric shock jolted her body.

He shook his head. "And that's why you shouldn't trust me." he mumbled, his voice somber. "Starfire, dear. I'm trying to help you. All of you."

The alien sobbed, twisting her head over and over. "You're not helping us. You're destroying us. You just want to destroy everything..."

The Gemini clapped his hands together roughly, and let out a wolf whistle. His head snapped suddenly to his left. "By jove, I think she's got it, don't you think?" Finishing his clapping, he turned to his hostage. He spoke to her matter-of-factly, his tone almost like a documentary announcer. "In a society that has abolished all adventures, the only adventure left is to abolish society."

The Tamaranian teen began to slam her elbows against the chair violently, attempting to wrench herself free. "I can't stand this any longer! Just let me go!"

Leaping at her outburst, the Gemini began to walk swiftly towards her, menace in his movements. The red-headed beauty cried out in terror when he tipped the chair backwards and pressed his masked features into the girl's own face.

"You _can't_ go, Starfire. We've still got more work to do."

The alien sobbed, trying to look away from the disorienting image before her, but his gnarled right hand held her head firmly in place.

"Starfire... would you like to see my face?" He asked, his tone softening. The alien looked at him cautiously, and slowly nodded.

The Gemini returned her chair to the floor and pulled his mask off. Still covered in shadow from the lights behind him, he turned around and flicked them off, tossing a cylinder casually towards the light switch to illuminate the room. The fluorescent lights from above slowly popped on, one by one, until the room was filled with a soft glow. Starfire beheld his features for the first time. She said nothing, simply staring at him, eyes stretched wide.

He offered a smile. "There. You can't hate somebody once you've truly seen who they are, now can you?"

Starfire didn't move. Her eyes darted around the room nervously. She was disturbed to note that there was nobody else present, despite the fact that he had occasionally addressed somebody.

He shook his head, wagging a finger at her. "Awww... Starfire. That's rude." Sighing, he put his mask back on. "Ahhh, well. Back to work." he declared, and walked over to the wall and flicked the lights off, casting darkness across the room once again. Within moments the Tamaranian felt another needle prick her arm, and she passed out.

She heard the harsh rustling of metal opening and closing, like scissors, as the last of her consciousness faded away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beast Boy tossed and turned in his bed. He'd been asleep for a little over two hours now, but a restless dream had crept into his head suddenly. Thrashing violently, he finally sat upright, his eyes wide, his skin clammy.

"Jesus..." he whispered. He looked across the room into the darkness, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. He jumped when he saw a body move in the darkness.

"Who the fuck--" he whispered, changing quickly into a leopard. He lept out of bed, pouncing in the figure's direction. His eyes still adjusting, he crashed into the wall, calling out as he slid to the ground with a thud. Changing back into a human, he switched the lights on quickly. His jaw dropped when he saw Raven standing a foot away, an amused look upon her face.

"Smooth." she droned.

His eyes narrowed. "Give me a break. It hasn't exactly been easily around here, you know."

Raven looked down. "You're right. I'm sorry. That was kind of a low blow." She looked back into his eyes. "I'm glad to see how well you guys are holding up."

Beast Boy nodded. His eyes darted over Raven's body. He was still amazed she was here. "So, uh, what brings you around?" he stuttered, at a loss for words. How do you explain a visit from a friend in a coma?

"I've been trying to find Starfire all night. I had found out that..._ he_... captured her, and I've been trying to locate her ever since. She's... been fading in and out ever since he kidnapped her. But I think I might know where she's being held. I've got probe her mind some more, but I should be able to tell you by tomorrow."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I can't believe that! That's so great!"

Raven shrugged. "It's the least I can do. I've got a lot of free time on my hands lately." she quipped.

"Jesus, Raven, I could kiss you!"

"No offense, but don't make me thankful I'm not corporeal." she offered with a slight grin.

"Er, sorry. You know, we might not even need that info. We're going to spring the trap tomorrow."

Raven's eyes grew wide. "You are, eh? That's great, that's great news. I'm glad you and Robin have patched things up."

"Well, I don't know if I'd go that far. But... we're doing better than before, that's for sure."

"You guys are working together again. He even accepted your plan." she pushed.

"Yeah."

Raven winced, and the shapeshifter stared at her intently. She waved her hands in a dismissive gesture at his scared appearance. "It's nothing. Forget about it. I should go, though. I've still got work to do figuring out where Starfire is. I'm really worried. Something's really wrong with her. Best of luck tomorrow." she finished quickly, and then promptly disappeared.

"But--" he called out, but was too late. He stared once more into the darkness that filled the area where Raven had once been. He rubbed his eyes, checking the clock. "3 AM. Damn." he whispered before climbing back into bed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shone brightly over Jump City, uncovering everything, leaving no secrets hidden from prying eyes. Deceptively for such a bright day, a chilly wind whipped through the city streets, forcing the citizens into warmer clothes. Businessmen ran to and fro in overcoats. Woman bundled up in heavy sweaters carried packages and babies. Children in autumn coats jumped about on school playgrounds.

Beast Boy and Cyborg watched this from a pair of binoculars next to the T-Car. Beast Boy looked only at the pavement when he wasn't watching for Robin. He said nothing the entire time.

"C'mon, man. Something's obviously wrong. Open up." said Cyborg while watching Perez Square like a hawk. He lowered the glasses to his chest and turned to his taciturn friend.

B.B. sighed, and finally looked up. "I talked to Raven again last night."

Cy looked at him silently. "Oh?" he finally uttered, his eyes locked on Beast Boy's.

His friend looked at the ground again. "Yeah. I don't care that you don't believe me. I saw her. She said she's almost found Starfire."

"I wasn't aware she was looking."

"Yeah, well, you haven't talked to her, now have you?"

"Touche."

"Yeah. She seems to be in a lot of pain. And from the sounds of things, Starfire is too." Beast Boy's eyes stared through his friend now, adjusting into a pained far-off look. "I want this guy so badly, Cyborg. I hate feeling this way. It's like a raw, red pain in my head every single day. You wake up in the morning and you're not looking forward anything anymore. It's a chore just to wake up. You know me. I'm not like that, dude. I don't want to feel this way. I just want this to be over with. I'm going to relish every moment of bringing this asshole down today."

The metallic Titan nodded, grinning. "I hear that, man! I read you loud and clear." He looked through his binoculars once more, and then tapped Beast Boy on the shoulder, bringing his friend back to the present. "Robin's in position. We don't have much time. Let's go."

Cyborg ran towards the nearest Subway steps while Beast Boy tagged along behind him. Within a matter of seconds the duo had disappeared into the underground.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin stood on the steps of the library at the northern end of the Square, watching over everything carefully. His head panned across the teeming crowd, looking for a familiar dark form.

His mind began to wander as he watched. _Look at all these people. I knew this might be a mistake... I hope to God this works... Concentrate, Boy Wonder. You've been trained, and you've been trained well. Just think this through, and justice will be served. Do it for Raven._ His jaw clenched. _Do it for Starfire_.

His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a figure in a black trenchcoat and a baseball cap advancing confidently towards the centre of the Square. Robin followed the man closely, and finally noticed the silver goggles. It was him. No doubt about it. Nervous, the Titans' leader made his way down the steps and across Perez Square. Within a few strides, he was only a few feet from his target. The form's gloved hand shot out in his direction.

"Stop!" the man called, turning around slowly to face him. Robin stood in place. The figure appeared to be staring into his eyes. Something about Gemini's stance disturbed the Boy Wonder. He seemed... taller? His movements seemed like that of a marionette. Something wasn't right.

His tone, however, was sickeningly sweet. "So... we meet again. Did you miss me?"

"Go to hell." hissed Robin, his voice full of poison.

"I'm sure I deserve that. So, this is the place for the 'peace talks?' I must confess, I was a little surprised."

"Yeah, well, get used to it. Where's Starfire?"

"Right to the point! I like it. Some interesting diplomacy, but it has its advantages. It's very classy, very confident. Makes me think of... _me_. Now, where is Starfire... where is Starfire..." The Gemini asked rhetorically, dramatically stroking his chin.

Robin was almost foaming by this point, his eyes twitching as his muscles seemed locked in place. "Just spit it out, you Nihilist!"

The Gemini pointed to Robin. "Ah-ha! You said the magic word. Nihilist. Well done. Brains _and_ brawn. I can see why she... loves you." His voice changed to sound... British? "I don't believe in nothing... I feel like they ought to burn down the world... just let it burn down, baby." He cleared his throat and bowed. His tone returned to normal. "I'm quoting graffiti found in England during the '60s. I find it to be... inspiring."

Robin's tone was clipped. He was clearly trying to contain his anger. "Cute. But you're not giving me any answers."

The Gemini nodded. "Where is Starfire? Starfire is right where you'd least suspect her to be, my friend. You can have her right now if you want. You just have to know where to look."

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"Because it's not fun that way. Besides, I don't want to lose Starfire. The little alien has been a lot of fun. We've played a lot of games together."

"That's it... you're coming with me." Robin broke his stance and began to stride towards the Gemini, his hands fused into fists, his every movement swaying heavily.

The Gemini stepped back quickly, reached into the coat and pulled out a revolver. Pointing it at Robin, he screamed. "Up against the wall, motherfuckers!"

Robin's eyes grew wide and dodged to the right as the figure tracked him with his pistol. "He's got a gun! Fuck! He's got a gun! Cyborg! Beast Boy! Titans! Go!"

The Gemini dropped the revolver before shaking his head. "Robin... Back-up? I knew you wouldn't keep your word."

The dark figure lept at the Boy Wonder, grabbing him by the cape, swinging him around and tossing him towards the oncoming Cyborg, who had just rushed out from a nearby building. The metallic teen grabbed his leader in his arms like Tarzan rescuing Jane, and after a sheepish pause, placed him on the ground.

The Gemini reached inside his vest but was surprised by the recently emerged Beast Boy, who hit him from behind as a ram, sending him sprawling to the ground. Switching into an anaconda, B.B. wrapped himself around the foe, squeezing. His enemy cried out before grabbing hold of the side of the giant snake, sending an electric current shooting through both of them but knocking Beast Boy off of him. The masked figure groaned before rolling over and jumping to his feet, tossing two cylinders in the incoming Cyborg and Robin's paths. The duo changed their trajectories, leaping to the left as the cylinders exploded on contact.

"Not so fast, my pretty chickens. The ship is sinking!" howled the Gemini. A well-aimed blast from Cyborg knocked him to the ground. Robin lept on top of him and a flurry of punches were exchanged.

Robin ignored the pain he felt. The Gemini's harsh fists meant nothing to him. He just kept telling himself that it was like being pelted with styrofoam. He focused only on returning whatever he blows got, smashing his crumpled hands into the foe's face once, twice, three times. Grabbing the villain by the neck, he slammed his head into the pavement before getting kicked off, landing gracefully in a crouching position.

"You're going to regret that..." mocked Gemini, no hint of pain in his voice. Robin shook his head in disbelief. He knew he hadn't held back. How could he be this calm? The masked figure's hands shot towards him quickly, tossing another pink collar. Before the Boy Wonder could react, it locked around his neck, emitting an electrical charge and sending him writhing to the ground.

The dark-clad villain's moment of victory was short-lived as a large green polar bear slammed into him from the side. The Gemini attempted to escape the beast's grasp, its claws swinging recklessly in his direction, hoping to dig into flesh. A quick slash from the bruin's talons got caught in the terrorist's coat, and with a quick jerk Beast Boy's weapons were once again torn free, sending the tattered garb drifting to the ground and leaving only the vest to protect the Gemini from a claw piercing his heart. He ducked once again, but a backhanded swipe of the creature's paw sent the Gemini flying, bouncing off the pavement and rolling on the ground. The villain slowly brought himself to his feet.

The Gemini drew a black disk from his vest, but was surprised from behind by Cyborg, who clutched him into a vice-like grip. Beast Boy changed into a lion, guarding the terrorist's front while his metallic ally held him back.

"GOTCHA!" shouted Cyborg. "BOOYA!"

Looking up from the ground after having just torn the collar off, Robin's face broke into a grin as he watched Gemini attempt to wriggle his way out of the larger teen's grasp.

"What's the matter, Gemini? Not going to teleport away?" taunted Robin, running over and landing a solid punch into the adversary's stomach.

Beast Boy changed back into human form. "Let's take his mask off. I want to see what he looks like. I want to see what an asshole this evil looks like. And then I'll decide whether or not to string him up by his intestines..." he hissed, a glint in his eyes.

"Beebs, remember what you said. No killing."

The shapeshifter looked at Cyborg carefully before allowing himself a characteristic smile. "Right, of course! I was only jokin'!" His robotic friend gave him a look, but let it go at that.

"Beast Boy's on the right track, though. Let's get his mask off." added Robin, knocking the villain's cap off and sending it floating to the concrete below. Grabbing the top of the mask, the Titans' leader ripped the covering off quickly, sending the goggles flying into the air. The silver spectacles smashed on the ground. Within seconds it was all over. Their adversary's face was theirs to behold.

The three teens stared in shock and horror at the face before them.

Cyborg held in his arms a bald Tamaranian. Her emerald eyes, ordinarily full of joy and wonder, were devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Blood poured from her nose and bruises covered her battered face. Over her mouth was a small two-way radio.

Robin's eye twitched. "Motherfucker." he whispered. He punched himself in the chest. "MOTHERFUCKER!" he screamed.

"Star! Fuck, we're so sorry! Star, are you okay? Speak to us!" shouted Cyborg, turning his friend around in his arms and softly shaking her.

"Starfire's not here, Mr. Cyborg. She's been conditioned well, as you have discovered. It was hard at first, molding her into a good little assassin. She broke in the end." came the taunt from over the radio. Screaming with rage, the cybernetic hybrid ripped the radio off of her mouth, tossing it to the ground. Beast Boy changed into a gorilla and smashed it to pieces with his massive feet.

"Motherfucker..." echoed Beast Boy, changing back quickly. Any laidback element once seen in his eyes was now gone completely.

Robin ran over to the wounded Tamaranian. "Starfire... God, Starfire! I'm so sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! Star... speak to us, please! I love you!" he begged, stroking her face as Cyborg held her up. The puppet-like movements she had exhibited before were gone completely now. She seemed like her strings had been cut. She barely even blinked.

"He did this... fuck." mumbled Cyborg, cradling her in his arms.

"Star... God, Star..." whispered Robin, almost delirious now from the recognition of what had just occurred. "God, I love you..." He kissed her lips softly, sighing heavily.

A small flicker appeared in the alien's eyes, and she slowly turned to view her leader and lover. "I have seen the demon's face." she choked out before closing her eyes and passing out.

Cyborg placed her gently into Robin's arms. The Boy Wonder wept silently for almost a minute while Cyborg looked awkwardly between him and the coldly distant Beast Boy.

Finally, with a deep breath, the Titans' leader looked up. "Well... now what?" demanded Robin.

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak before a blue ray of light blasted him in the back. Groaning, he crumpled to the ground as if somebody had just flicked his OFF switch.

"CYBORG!" he screamed, placing Starfire down carefully as Beast Boy lept to his friend's aid. Looking beyond where their friend had been standing just moments ago, they saw the Gemini wave before teleporting away once again.

"Cyborg! Cy! Are you okay?" asked Beast Boy, holding his friend's head up.

Cyborg looked around carefully, his eyes remarkably weary. "That... that was an electromagnetic pulse... I... I need to get back to the Tower... God... I'm so tired... Listen to me carefully." The duo nodded. "I've prepared for this. My circuits are fried, but my organic side is okay. I'm good for another two, maybe two and a half hours. Get me back to the Tower. In my room there's a pod labelled _THX-114_. Place me inside of it, flip the red switch, and the computer will do the rest to fix me." He began to cough uncontrollably. "I'll be out for a while, though. I need to conserve energy. I'm so fucking tired..." he sounded out of breath by now, and his eyes were drooping.

"It's okay, man. Get some sleep. We'll get you back safely." said Beast Boy, slapping his chest.

"Thanks... guys... Get... get that fucker..." coughed Cyborg. Having said that, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

Beast Boy and Robin stared at their friend for a few moments before grabbing his body and slowly lifting it over into the T-Car, their minds on autopilot. They walked back to find Starfire still sprawled out on the pavement, eyes open now and staring straight ahead, looking at nothing. Working as stiffly as before, they placed her in the back of the car next to their metallic friend. After finishing these tasks, the duo sat on the hood, catching their breath, saying nothing. They didn't even look at each other.

The shapeshifter sat there on the hood, reflecting on the events of the past few days for what he figured to be the millionth time. He remembered Raven's savage attack. He still couldn't believe that they had just brutally beaten Starfire, deceived or not. And now to lose Cyborg... it all seemed too much, too fast. Trying to make sense of it all, he finally felt that spark of hatred within him change form and began to merge inside of him. He looked over to Robin and examined his face, noting the agony and the helplessness that was being covered by his external hatred. He knew that feeling. He knew it very well. He looked back at the square where they had just fought a bizarre battle.

_Dammit, Raven, you were right all along. That's why this isn't worth it. This is what he wants. This is exactly what Gemini wants. We're letting him break us by letting all of this destroy us from the inside. We're doing the work for him. We're sitting here thinking about revenge and brutality, and all it's doing is tearing us to pieces. Look at us. We're just sitting here, saying nothing. That's not what friends do, much less teammates. We're letting all of this get to us at our core. I can't let that happen. Because by that point, no matter what we do to him, he's already won. Because he'll have changed us. We can't let it get to that point. It's going to be hard. But we've got to defeat him on our own terms. And that means working together and letting justice take its course._

Finally smiling, Beast Boy turned to his friend. "And then there were two, eh, Robin?"

Robin's face twitched. Not even looking at the changeling, his fists slammed into the side of the vehicle several times. Snapping, he let out a primal scream: "FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

Finishing his outburst, he slumped against the windshield, letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry. I needed that." he whispered.

Taken aback, Beast Boy looked behind them into the car. "Uh... Maybe I should drive?" he offered.

Robin regarded him coldly. Suddenly, the absurdity of it all hit him like a ton of bricks. After a few seconds, he began to laugh. Warming up, he began to smile.

"Yeah. Maybe it'd be better if you did." He tossed him the keys, and the two climbed into the automobile.

Within seconds, they were off to the Tower.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening was upon them, and once again, the Titans' resident shapeshifter found himself tossing and turning in another fitful, restless sleep. His covers flew off of him suddenly as his legs kicked out. His arms shook. He found himself shifting his form unconsciously. A boar lay in his bed, then a German shepherd, then a guinea pig. He grunted and groaned, his breathing ragged. Finally, his eyes opening wide, he sat up, human once again.

"Oh my God." he whispered briefly before leaping from his bed and out of his room. His footsteps sounded like thunder in the silent Tower as he made his way down the hall. His fists wrapped on Robin's door over and over again until a sleepy, disgruntled Boy Wonder finally let him in.

"What is it, Beast Boy?" Robin demanded quietly, exhaustion layering his voice.

"Robin... I know where he is. I know where the Gemini is hiding!"

His leader's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. Collecting himself, Robin grabbed hold of B.B.'s clothing. "Where? And how?" he yelled, shaking his teammate.

"Raven told me... In a dream. She came to me and she told me, I swear! Scout's honour!"

"You were never a scout."

"Forget about that! I'm not lying to you. She couldn't tell me outright, she could only show me. She's in a lot of pain..."

Robin let go of his friend and took a step backward, reflecting on his words. "So, where is he?" he finally asked quietly.

"He's got an office in an old arena across town. In the basement."

Robin's fist collided with his palm. "Well, we've got nothing to lose. It's the best lead we've got. Go back and get some sleep. First thing tomorrow morning, we're going to take him down."

Beast Boy thrust a hand out quickly. "As a team, right?" The Boy Wonder was surprised by his friend's act, but smiled.

"As a team." he said softly, shaking Beast Boy's hand vigorously. He looked into the changeling's eyes and smiled. "A very good friend of mine once gave me some advice, he said he'd received it from somebody very special to him. I'd like to think we're listening to it ourselves now."

Beast Boy looked curious. "What was it?"

"Why do we fall down? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."

**TO BE CONTINUED... in Chapter 5... "The Dead Heart."**


	5. The Dead Heart

**Hello! I am so, so sorry for keeping you all waiting so long before this update! This has been the week from hell for me, but I somehow managed to survive it. Thanks to everybody who's read this far, by the way! I'm very pleased with this story, and I'm glad so many other people are interested as well.  
**

**This is the second last chapter in my "Revenge" storyline. Expect the thrilling conclusion... to be titled "Ghost Dance"... to come soon. Most likely by next Saturday.**

**The Usual Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

**And now... enjoy! **

Chapter 5: The Dead Heart

It seemed like years since the Titans had felt an emotion other than pain or hatred. The entire week had been like a gauntlet for them, with huge defeats underscored with only pithy victories. They knew that, slowly but surely, they were turning the tide against their oppressor. But the final victory seemed miles away at this point. They had suffered so many losses by now that they wondered what a real victory would actually look like. They even found themselves wondering who would be around to see a final victory.

Pushing any morbid thoughts out of his head, Robin sat on his bed thinking. Rubbing his chin with his right hand, he went over a mental checklist of his team, re-examining just what the hell had been happening in his life up until this moment.

Cyborg. Paralyzed by an electromagnetic pulse. It was unclear when he would be able to fight again. Seeing the Gemini wave to them as his friend toppled to the ground made certain ethical lines start to blur inside his head.

Starfire. Currently in a catatonic trance after being brainwashed by the Gemini into attacking her fellow Titans... Her _friends_. This one felt like an acidic burn on his chest every time he thought about it. To see his friend, his ally, his _lover_ broken down and turned into a mindless, soulless killing machine sent a cold chill up his spine. Looking into her eyes and seeing nothing where a warm, loving radiance had once been left him speechless. He moved on before he did something he would regret.

Raven. In a coma after being savagely beaten. He kept thinking about the events leading up to her attack, and felt a deep hopelessness when he realized that nothing he could have done would have changed the end result. He took solace in the fact that Beast Boy was confident that she'll return soon, as she had... apparently... been visiting him via astral projection. His solace was increased when he saw the strength his friend had gathered from these visits. Which brought him to...

Beast Boy. While physically healthy, BB's mental health was still a cause for alarm. Although he trusted Beast Boy's stories about Raven's visits, a nagging feeling in the back of his head made him wonder if maybe the changeling wasn't just unhinged by all of what had happened. Still, he'd handled the last few setbacks remarkably well. And they were using Raven's latest discovery as the entire basis of their next attack. Crazy or not, Beast Boy had something going on.

Robin. He thought about his own mental health at that point. He realized that he had taken every loss to heart, and that was dangerous. He knew himself well enough to realize his obsessive nature could be destructive. He would have to keep a clear head throughout this next action. He reminded himself that you had to think straight against the Gemini, or else he would exploit you, and he was deadly in that regard. His eyes narrowing, Robin _refused_ to let that madman win one more battle. As hard as it was, he tried to block out all distractions, all thoughts or memories, and just focus on the task at hand. It was an uphill battle.

Taking a deep breath, Robin stood up, and prepared for the day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning could not have arrived soon enough for the two remaining Titans. Robin and Beast Boy looked rested and fully charged as they met each other in the main room. They had a grim determination on their faces.

Robin placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "This is it. I'm through running, I'm through just reacting to somebody else's plans. Now, we take the battle to him. This whole time, he's had the advantage because he's known everything about us, and we know nothing about him. Now, we know something very important about him. And we're going to use that to take him down." The changeling nodded at his leader's words, and Robin continued. "No more plans, no more traps, no more ambushes. We use the element of surprise, and take him down. Just hit him hard and fast. Unrelenting. Nothing fancy."

Beast Boy scratched his head. "But.. isn't that an ambush? And a plan?"

Robin slapped his forehead, sighing. "You're right. Never mind. That's not important. Get ready. We're leaving in five minutes." The edge in Robin's voice was like steel. Above it all, he sounded... tired. He turned suddenly and left the room without saying another word.

Beast Boy felt less like he had been talking to his leader and more like he'd just been given orders by a robot. He knew where that part of Robin's personality had come from. He knew how easy it was for a person to let themselves get like that. Memories flickered across his consciousness like horrifying instant replays from a twisted play.

He remembered watching Raven being tortured. He remembered feeling so helpless as he struggled against his restraints to do something, anything to end her suffering.

He remembered seeing Star's empty face emerge from beneath that black mask, blood pouring down her features from attacks _they_ had unwittingly inflicted upon her.

He remembered watching his best friend get cut down by an EMP blast, unable to do anything as he fell into a state of paralysis. The shock of everything that happened that day threatened to overload his nervous system.

Every one of these thoughts twisted a dagger in his heart. But he held himself together knowing that the events of the week would be just a memory very soon. Justice would be served. He didn't know how long it would be until he got his friends back, but capturing the man who had done these unspeakable things to them was a step in the right direction. He wanted more than anything to give into his hate and just blindly annihilate his enemy. But he knew that would just be playing into his hands. The Gemini would have broken him then. And that was something he could never, ever allow.

_Cage the beast._ he thought to himself as he made his way to the garage.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forty-five minutes later, Robin was lifting a heavy metal grate in an unknown floor, and the two teens emerged in a sub-basement.

"Ewww... that was so gross. Why did we have to take the sewers for those last few blocks again?" choked Beast Boy.

"Because... we can't take any chances. We've been careless enough as it is. Now, come on." explained his leader.

There was an awkward pause, and the duo just looked at one another.

"Uhh... what?" the shapeshifter finally asked nervously.

"I'm kind of waiting on you. You are the one who knows where to go."

"Well, I mean, I kinda sorta maybe do, yeah. It's not like I've actually been here myself. I've just seen this place in a dream somebody else gave me."

Robin rubbed his nose with his index finger and thumb. Warily he looked back at Beast Boy. "I've been very patient so far. Do you, or do you not, know which way to go?"

Beast Boy looked nervously at his feet.

"Christ, Beast Boy..." groaned Robin.

"Look, dude... I got us here in the first place, okay? And let's just relax! No need to start biting my head off. We should be united right now. We're just playing into his hands otherwise."

Robin glared at his friend, but his gaze softened. "I'm sorry. I'm just tense, is all. I'm not trying to hurt you. If you don't know, though, do you have an... idea of where to go?"

Beast Boy put a finger to his lip, thinking hard. Finally, he turned to his left. "I'm pretty sure it's this way."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure?"

The changeling returned the stare and stiffened. "You know what? I'm positive it's this way. This is more than instinct talking. I can almost feel Raven guiding me. Follow me!" With that, he charged forward. Taken aback, Robin watched him go before finally realizing he should be following him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They'd been walking for a little while before they came to two large doors. _TO ARENA FLOOR_ was printed in large red letters above them. Robin and Beast Boy exchanged looks.

"I'm sure this is the place. Something deep inside of me says it's the way to go." explained the shapeshifter.

The Boy Wonder nodded. "I trust you. Lead on, friend." He emphasized the last word of his sentence, and B.B. smiled as he quietly opened one of the doors.

The room laid out in front of them was incredibly dark, save for a harsh yellow light on top of a rickety old table several feet away. Next to that light, hunched over in a small chair, listening intently to headphones connected to a strange metal box on top of the table, was the Gemini. He had his back to the two heroes.

Robin looked at Beast Boy and brought a finger to his own mouth, indicating silence. His ally nodded comprehension, and they began to advance upon their foe. As they got close, they could make out the Gemini mumbling to himself.

"Where the fuck did they go? Do you know? Have you seen th-them? I don't know where they went!"

When they were about four feet away, their enemy became very silent. He turned around swiftly to face them, leaping to his feet. Flicking a button on a small, silver metal oval in his hand, the houselights came up, illuminating the room. They appeared to be in the centre of a large rink.

"Well, well--" began the Gemini, his words cut off by a boomerang to the throat. Crying out in surprise and clutching his neck, the Gemini teleported behind the duo, attempting to knock them off their feet. Robin dropped to the ground, but Beast Boy changed into a hummingbird, evading his foe momentarily.

"I don't e-even get a monologue! That's no-no-not fun!" cried the Gemini with a twitch.

Beast Boy changed suddenly into an eagle, swooping down and slashing Gemini's face before he could react, knocking his silver goggles to the ground. The foe screamed and dropped to the conrete floor, hands over his eyes. Robin landed a swift kick to his midsection, and another one to the side of his head, roaring with anger at every blow. A massive green gorilla grabbed their adversary's arms as Robin tore the red belt from his waist, dropping it casually to the ground and throwing a disk at it. The belt froze solid, and Robin brought his heavy heel down upon it, shattering it to pieces. He watched as the remains of the belt sparked and sizzled for a second before returning his attention to the Gemini.

"It's over. No more teleporting. No more surprise attacks. No more reign of terror. You're finished." he spat, making a sweeping motion with his hand as he looked into his enemy's eyes.

Robin was surprised by Gemini's eyes. They were very grey, yet they didn't seem quite human. There was nothing blatantly different about them, save for the fact that they were also very bloodshot. But something about his look put Robin off. He altered his line of sight to look at the Gemini's forehead.

The man in black said nothing. After almost a minute of silence, Robin and Beast Boy exchanged a worried glance. They were startled back to the figure before them when he began to laugh. It was an otherworldly, ethereal laugh. Low, with the echo they'd come to expect from him.

"Stop that! What're you doing?" shouted Robin.

"Escaping..." replied the Gemini, bringing his foot up suddenly and nailing Beast Boy between the legs.

Screaming in pain, the shapeshifter changed back to human form and dropped to the ground. Gemini aimed a kick at Robin's head, but the Boy Wonder deflected it, countering with a punch to the shoulder. It connected with a loud crack, and the Gemini spun around, surprised.

"A fine help you are!" he cried out at no one, ducking Robin's second punch and delivering a kick to his solar plexus.

The Boy Wonder felt the air rush from his lungs and he keeled over to regain his breath. The Gemini's attempts to harm the fallen Titan were dashed when a green ram struck him from the side, sending him flying through the air. He crashed to the ground and laid immobile for several seconds. Beast Boy changed back, turning to his friend.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Go get him!" moaned Robin weakly, giving his ally the thumbs up.

Smiling, Beast Boy changed into a velociraptor, lunging at the Gemini. The dark figure rolled out of the way from the raptor's initial attack, but was struck in the chest by a kick while bringing himself into a crouching position. The raptor pounced yet again, slashing relentlessly at his foe.

"Give it up, Titans! The ship is sinking! You've-you've already lost!" shouted Gemini as he dodged the vicious attacks. The beast's claws dug into his side, and the Gemini cried out in agony. Beast Boy lifted his foe into the air and tossed him against a wall. He shifted back into human form as Robin slowly walked over beside him. The two watched the Gemini slowly bring himself onto his hands and knees.

"Not now... I'm-I'm b-busy..." the stunned figured mumbled as he slowly stood up. The two Titans watched in surprise as the Gemini drew himself into another battle pose.

"Who the fuck is he talking to?" Beast Boy whispered to Robin. His leader shrugged and they returned their attention to the battle at hand.

"N-now Titans... do not start anything you cannot finish..." grunted the Gemini, ready to launch another attack

"You're not fucking human." whispered Beast Boy, shaking his head.

Robin's eye twitched. "It's _over_. You're _done_. Cut your losses, surrender, and we won't _kill_ you." he barked, eliciting a strange look from his teammate. The Gemini didn't even flinch. The trio stood staring at one another for what felt like eternity, the Gemini locked into his posture, the two Titans waiting for him to move.

"My pretty little chickens..." the masked man finally hissed. "You will never beat me. I told you I wouldn't stop until I broke all of you. And I intend to keep my promise."

"You haven't broken any of us yet, Gemini." shot the Titans' leader with a smirk. "You've just injured us. Superficial, nothing more."

"Oh, but I broke your little girlfriend, Robbie." mused the Gemini. "I made sure her mind broke apart like fragile crystal. Her _physical_ breaking... well, you took care of that _for_ me."

The Boy Wonder was fuming by this point, his eyes shooting daggers at the dark-clad figure before him. Beast Boy's eyes were wide as he noticed how tightly his leader's fists were clenched. His attention was redirected to the man at hand when he heard that disturbing chuckle once more.

"Thank you." the Gemini added, his voice sickeningly sweet.

"GODDAMMIT!" Robin finally blurted, charging towards him.

"Robin! No!" cried Beast Boy, but he was too late. As the Boy Wonder was inches from attacking his foe, the Gemini drew the familiar silver device from his sleeve and teleported the Boy Wonder away.

"ROBIN! What did you do? Where is he?" growled Beast Boy, trying to maintain control.

The Gemini returned the ovaloid to a pocket in his vest. "Relax, he's safe. I'm saving him for later." He pointed straight up. The changeling followed his finger, and saw a large metal cage suspended from the ceiling. "Even if he does break out of that, it's a good fifty foot drop to the ground. I don't think even _he_ could survive that."

"You--" began Beast Boy.

The Gemini cut him off, visibly twitching as he spoke. "Now, I had intended to save breaking _you_ for last, B-Beast Boy. But fate seems to have other ideas."

The masked foe bowed in the surprised shapeshifter's direction. The green lad did not return the gesture, changing instead into a timberwolf and pouncing with a ferocious snarl.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Even if he does break out of that, it's a good fifty foot drop to the ground. I don't even think he could survive that."

Robin could faintly make out the familiar sound of the Gemini's voice originating from... below him? He looked around the strange metal room, trying to figure out where he was. He approached the strange looking walls and examined them. The walls were composed of long metal slats placed tightly together with small gaps between each plank. Robin looked through one of the slits and saw floodlights pointing downward directly in front of him. It became very obvious that there was no floor in front of them. Looking down, he saw a green wolf and a dark shape fighting on the floor below.

"Jesus... Where the hell am I?" He shook his head, realizing what was readily apparent. "I'm hanging from the ceiling in a cage. Goddammit."

He punched one of the metal slats in anger. He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples.

"No, no, I've got to control myself. Focus. Like Beast Boy said. I can't believe I'm taking advice from Beast Boy, but, hey, when he's right, he's right."

He took another deep breath, and pulled a small acetylene torch from his belt.

"Always be prepared. You taught me well, Bruce." he whispered with a smile, and proceeded to light the torch.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I saw no future in this or any land, Beast Boy..." droned the Gemini, dodging another growling leap from his green opponent. He attempted another flying kick which the changeling easy avoided in canine form. "There's t-too much order. Everything is too rigidly constructed. Things j-just ne-needs a little shaking up."

The wolf finally grabbed a hold of Gemini's right calf muscle and dragged him to the ground. The Gemini's left boot collided with the green animal's face, the beast recoiling in pain. The Gemini lept back to his feet and swung his fist at the wolf. The creature disappeared before his eyes, replaced with a mosquito. The Gemini swiped at the air, trying to eliminate the buzzing he heard, but to no avail.

"Just accept it, Beast Boy. I've won. I've gone and shattered your entire world. You can't pos-ossibly come back from this." The masked figure called into the darkness, his eyes scanning around for any signs of life. A green shape finally appeared to his left hand side, and he charged towards it.

A massive green grizzly stood on its hind legs before him. Surprised, the Gemini attempted to dodge to his right, but the animal's massive claws struck his chest and drove him into the ground. Beast Boy fell atop his adversary, talons ready to attack. Slipping his long arms behind Gemini's back, Beast Boy began to squeeze. The dark figure attempted to squirm out of the massive creature's grip, but it was futile. Gripping him in an appropriate bearhug, Beast Boy stood up with his foe, crushing him into his massive chest. Pleased with the suffering he was inflicting, the green bear roared triumphantly.

"The ship... ch-chickens... sinking... Society..." mumbled Gemini in a crazed voice, his eyes wide beneath his mask. When they finally rolled up in his skull and he stopped struggling, the bruin dropped the limp figure to the ground with a heavy thud. Gemini lay still, his chest immobile. Beast Boy shifted back into human form, his eyes wide, his jaw slack.

"Shit... oh shit..." he mumbled over and over again, a sense of terror in his quivering voice.

"I... I fucking killed him. Oh shit!" he cried, slapping a hand over his mouth to ensure his leader didn't hear.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "No, no... No way. This is a trick. Another trick. He's just... he's just faking it..." The shapeshifter crept carefully around the prone villain, examining his body carefully.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I fucking killed him. Oh shit..."

Robin paused from his work of carefully cutting his way free for a second. He turned his torch off and looked below. He saw no extreme movement, just a small green shape slowly circling a larger black frame. The black figure did not move. Robin's eyes grew very wide. He listened very carefully, but couldn't hear anything else.

"Beast Boy... what have you done?" he whispered, turning the torch back on. He continued cutting through the steel planks as quickly as possible, trying as best as he could to ignore what was going on below, just for the moment.

_Of course, even if I do get free, how do I get down if Gemini _isn't_ dead?_ He scratched his cheek absently. _I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it._

After a few more seconds of cutting, he shut the torch off suddenly and dropped it to the floor of the cage. He exhaled quickly through clenched teeth.

"I'm wondering how to get down from here and my teammate may have just _killed_ a man? What the _hell_ are we becoming?" He whispered hoarsely.

He sat down cross-legged, putting his head in his hands as he tried to clear his head. After taking a few deep breaths, he slowly stood back up, retrieved his torch, and went back to his work as if nothing had happened.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beast Boy finally realized that he was going to have to actually touch the Gemini to determine whether or not he was actually dead. Fully prepared for any trap, he shifted into a large gorilla again, and stomped towards the unconscious figure before him. Air rushed through his pursed lips as he grabbed the Gemini's right arm and felt for a pulse. There was none.

_Oh my God..._ thought the green lad, shock shooting through his body. _I... I fucking killed him._

A dull expression came over his face as the feeling sunk in. He looked at the white orbs in the Gemini's mask where his eyes had been and froze. Shifting back into a human, he let go of the arm and brought his left hand to his cheek. So many emotions coursed through him. Fear. Anger. Sadness. He'd never wanted to take a life. But a tiny feeling scratched the back of his mind, slowly bringing itself to the surface. It was an incredible feeling of joy.

Beast Boy's lips slowly tilted into a smirk. He couldn't believe he felt this way. But he knew where it had come from. He felt good for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Looks like I broke _you_, huh, fucker?" he hissed, bringing his face close to his enemy's.

His eyes grew wide with shock as the Gemini's pupils once again came to view.

"Surprise." whispered the masked figure as two fingers jabbed the changeling swiftly in the throat.

Grasping his neck and emitting wheezing, choking noises, Beast Boy fell to his knees as the Gemini lept to his feet. Terror overcame the Titan as he could make out the towering enemy standing before him through a haze of tears and pain. With a flash from his enemy's dark-clad arms, B.B. felt a surge of pain shoot through his chest as he heard the Gemini's familiar horrifying laugh. The changeling fell forwards onto his knees, moaning incoherently.

A rough hand grabbed his right arm, twisting it violently behind his back. With two quick punches, one to the shoulder and the other to his elbow, Beast Boy heard a distinct **SNAP** and felt nothing but utter agony after that. He let out a piercing shriek as he realized that the Gemini had just broken his arm.The masked figure laughed harder as the shapeshifter screamed louder when the pain overwhelmed him. The green lad slumped forward, burying his head between his knees, tenderly nursing his shattered arm as his eyes shut tight and his breathing became ragged. He began to groan uncontrollably as he tried to think straight once again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin heard his friend's wail and looked down on the floor once more. He saw the dark figure standing now, posing victoriously over a limp green image in front of him.

"BEAST BOY!" The Boy Wonder cried out in horror.

The Gemini looked upwards in his direction. "Hello, Robin! I told you I'd break your team. And I was right. I've just got _you_ left to do. And you know how I'm going to do it? I'm going to kill your little green friend here while you watch, and then leave you to rot in that cage. Mission accomplished."

The masked figure let out his laugh once again as Robin began to punch the walls of his cage repeatedly, grunting with a primal anger with each blow. Gathering himself, Robin looked out once again and saw the Gemini reach into his vest and pull out a small dagger. Robin's eyes grew wide and he pressed himself closer to the narrow slit he was looking down from.

"No... no... fuck... no!" the Boy Wonder called out quietly, his hands gripping the metal slats and shaking them.

Gemini grabbed B.B. by the hair and yanked his head back, causing the changeling to groan loudly. The madman drew him up to his feet and brought the blade to his throat. The Titan's leader made a choking sound.

"No! Let him go! Don't do it! No!" Robin was hysterical now, his voice piercing the air as his terror echoed off the walls. The slats shook roughly now, making a clanking noise which underscored the Boy Wonder's words.

Gemini turned back to the caged hero. "I hope this image haunts you for the rest of your short life. I win. I have broken you all." he called out to the masked teen.

As he began to slide the knife across the green Titans' neck, a blue blast hit the Gemini square in the chest, knocking him away from Beast Boy and sending him flailing to the ground. A loud ringing sound was heard as the blade flew across the room and slid across the floor.

"Hate to burst your bubble, pal, but I'm not broken." came Cyborg's familiar tone, bitterness in his voice, his heavy footsteps resonating on the concrete floor. He stood defiant in front of the man who'd harmed him just a short time ago.

Undeterred, the Gemini reached into the vest once again and pulled out several black discs, tossing them towards his new enemy. Cyborg braced himself for the attack, but the discs exploded with many green flashes, their remains littering the floor like confetti. The Gemini's eyes grew wide as an orange-skinned teen flew into his view.

"I am fully intact as well." came the venom of Starfire's voice as she hovered in the air. Robin cried out in joy at the scene unraveling before him, and kicked the metal slat he'd been working on with his torch. It broke off and fell to the ground with a loud clang. He called out to his Tamaranian lover, and she flew to his aid. She blushed as she remembered her lack of hair, but Robin just smiled and held her tight, glad to see her. He slowly brought him to the ground before they returned their attention to the enemy in their midst.

The Gemini was walking away slowly by this point, spasming uncontrollably now and again before finally backing himself into a wall. Realizing his situation, he drew the familiar silver device from his vest once again.

"Well... It's been fu-fun. This is a minor setback, to be sure. But my-y work is not done."

As he went to teleport himself away, the oval was overtaken by a web of dark energy. The Gemini's eyes grew wide as his device was torn from his hands, crumbling to dust in midair. He looked up to see a blue figure hovering in the air directly above him.

"Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." hissed Raven, her eyes glowing blood red as the silhouette of her namesake bird framed her image from behind.

The empath drifted over to Beast Boy, keeping a careful eye on the cornered, tiwtching villain as she examined her friend's broken limb. Cyborg, Starfire and Robin began to advance upon their adversary.

The Titans' enemy looked at the overwhelming odds against him. His eyes flickered from Raven, to Starfire, to Cyborg, and finally to Robin. His eyelids narrowed, and he straightened up.

"Well, w-well, we-well. It looks like th-hings finally got interesting." he declared, and prepared himself for battle.

**TO BE CONCLUDED... Don't miss the exciting conclusion to "Revenge" in Chapter 6... "Ghost Dance." Don't miss it, as all will be revealed!  
**


	6. Ghost Dance

**Hello again! AMZ here with the exciting conclusion to "Revenge!" I'm sorry again that this chapter took so long to complete. But I hope it has been worth it. Thanks again to everybody for reading and reviewing this story! I'm very proud of how this story has turned out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**And now... on with the show...**

Chapter 6: Ghost Dance

Breathing in... breathing in... in... out... in... out... Steady. Constant. Stable.

His own heartbeat was drowning out the sounds around him. Tears poured down his cheeks as he tried with every ounce of strength to ignore the pain and get up. Somewhere, faintly, he could have sworn he heard Star's voice.

Christ, he almost swore it was Cy that had saved him. It couldn't have been. Robin must have gotten free somehow.

Maybe he was just going crazy again. Just like when he was talking to... _her_.

He nursed his arm, trying to get up and move on, but the pain was just too much. He could barely concentrate by this point. His mind was a buzzing beehive of sensation.

He felt humiliated. He'd let everybody down. Everyone he'd vowed to defend, to avenge.

A twinge of guilt emerged from the back of his mind.

_Did I really want to kill him?_

A part of him did, that's for sure. He couldn't deny that. While the attack itself wasn't meant to be fatal, he had to admit there was a sliver within his brain, a sliver he had allowed to take control of himself for just a second, that relished the thought that he'd killed Gemini.

He didn't really want him dead. It was just the anger talking. Besides, none of it had been true. It had been just another trap. A surge of sharp pain reminded of what had unfolded.

Suddenly, he felt a presence from behind. Turning his head slowly, he could make out a dark shape approach him. It was moving in an unusual pattern, almost as if it was floating.

"Hold still." came the familiar voice. Seconds later, the pain in his arm began to dissipate.

"What's going on? Who are you?" he mumbled, trying to make out the female-sounding character behind him.

Another familiar, but echoed voice reverberated in the background. "Well, w-well, we-well. It looks like things finally got interesting..."

"I can't make you out, what did you say?" came the first voice again.

His eyes widened suddenly as realization hit him. "R-Raven?" he asked quietly, meekly flexing his shoulder, wincing moments later.

"Hey, Beast Boy. Your arm hasn't fully healed yet. I can't do anything about the bone right now, but I can use a spell that can place a temporary field around it. You won't have full movement, but you'll feel less pain, and there won't be any further damage."

He ignored what she just said, focusing on the fact that she was there helping him. "I thought..."

"I was taking a nap?" She smiled.

"Yeah..." he replied groggily.

"Call this a rude awakening. Now come on. He's cornered."

A real, genuine smile spread cross Beast Boy's face. It had been so long since he felt a smile that wasn't tinged with anger or misery, that it was an alien feeling stretching his skin. But he liked it. He felt good. He felt joy. And it was pure, untainted. Unconnected to hatred. He wished he could feel this way forever. But there was work to be done. And he was sure the pleasure of defeating the Gemini for good would eclipse this feeling a thousandfold.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin stepped towards the Gemini, his foe's back literally against a wall. "I know you're not going to surrender. We've tried that before. But we're not going to kill you. Whether you like it or not, you're coming with us." he declared, drawing his bostaff. The bitter faces of Cyborg and Starfire approached him from either side.

The masked figure's eyes darted from Robin's face to the faces of the other Titans. One by one, with each additional face, he realized just what he was up against. He took a deep breath and let out an exasperate sigh.

"I should have been a pair of ragged claws... Scuttling across the floors of silent seas." he moaned.

Robin shook his head. "I'm giving you one last chance to surrender. Take it."

"Ne-never. It's yo-our move. Choose wisely, O Bird-named boy-king."

Robin sighed. "Raven?"

A cage of dark energy surrounded the visibly surprised Gemini, causing him to cry out. He ran towards the blackness that kept him bound, pounding on the walls of his new prison. He realized he was trapped.

"But... but-t... W-well played..." he admitted, clenched his hands into fists. He turned to his right. "Wasn't it well played? Bah... shut up for a second..." He returned his attention to the Titans. "You can't h-hold me... I'm going to get out of h-here... and I'll finish wha-at I started. I'll kill you all."

"Back to Titans' Tower with you. We're turning you over to the Justice League. You're way too dangerous to give over to the police." declared Cy with a smirk on his face.

"The terror you have reigned upon us all is over." added Starfire, narrowing her eyes.

The Gemini examined the deadly looks aimed in his general direction, and gave up. Slowly, he raised his hands and lowered his head. "Do with me as you wish."

Robin and Cyborg briefly exchanged surprised looks before nodding in agreement.

"Let's go, Raven." said the metallic teen.

Raven nodded. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." she started to whisper, and a jet black field began to envelope the team. Within a matter of seconds, the arena was replaced with an endless void. Moments later they found themselves back home in Titans' Tower.

Beneath their initial relief to have captured the terrorist in their midst, the Titans were breathing a collective sigh of joy and relief for another reason. They were finally together again in their Tower. In their home. For the first time since this horror began, all five members of the team were healthy, active, and united under one roof. Eyes scanned pleased faces, and smiles began to spread.

It felt good to be alive again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Raven, hold his arms and legs. I'm not taking any more chances with him." ordered Robin, and she obeyed. Cyborg and Starfire began to remove items in his possession from his pockets, and then they removed his vest. He stood before them bound and unarmed.

"We have a place designated to hold him, correct?" asked Starfire nervously.

"Ohhh, yeah, Star. We've got a great room set aside for this guy. C'mon." Cy gestured and the rest of the Titans followed, with Gemini leading the way just behind the cybernetic hybrid. After taking an elevator down several floors, Cyborg lead the team to a large metal door with a small grated opening.

"I call this the Alcatraz Special. I designed it a few years ago with Slade in mind. Actually, we used a lot of the design that went into making this cell into designing the holding room for Raven when we knew the prophecy would begin." explained Cyborg as he approached a small panel with a single, tiny red dot. Cyborg inserted the pinky finger of his right hand into the red hole. After several seconds, a ringing noise was heard, and the heavy steel door opened. Raven forced their captive inside, and the door heavily slid shut and sealed.

Robin approached the small window and peered inside. "You were wrong about us, Gemini."

The Gemini was whispering to himself. "We have lingered in the chambers of the sea..."

"We're not the forces of evil. The order we maintain ensures the livelihood, the happiness, the peace of millions of people. What you have done, what you attempted to do, was impose your own perverse sense of right and wrong upon everybody else in the most destructive manner possible. To me, that's evil."

"By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown..."

Robin glared at the babbling figure. "You viewed us all as just a symbol to be destroyed. You never once considered that we are an active part of this society you wished to both paradoxically destroy and liberate. I know we aren't all _physically_ human... but we are all living, breathing, feeling people. You chose to ignore that simply to carry out a dangerous agenda. Your fate is out of our hands, yeah... But justice will be served."

"Till human voices wake us, and we drown." Finished the Gemini.

"Friend Raven, is he reciting a spell?" The orange skinned teen asked.

The hooded mystic shook her head. "He's quoting a poem. 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' if I'm not mistaken. By T. S. Eliot. I think he cited it earlier at the arena, too."

"Very cl-clever. I can s-see your br-rain was n-not d-damaged when I bashed it in." he spat.

Raven's eyes began to glow, and she glared at the man in the cell. A lightbulb in the hallway behind them exploded, scattering sparks around..

The familiar laugh came from their prisoner. "It's m-meaningless. Everything i-is. Th-The ship is s-sinking. You're all dead, you just d-don't know it yet."

The team's changeling finally stirred, stepping forward towards the cell. "Big words from you. We all know you're finished. And if I remember correctly, you've been dead once already." hissed Beast Boy, jabbing a finger in his direction. Gemini backed away from the small window and sat down in the corner. The green hero walked up to the door and slammed his healthy fist against it, his tone growing manic now.

"I may have killed you by accident the first time, but so help me God..."

"Beast Boy!" cried Cyborg, snapping his friend's attention towards him. "Calm down, man. It's okay. We got him. Don't let him get to you like that! He's not worth the aggravation."

B.B. took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm sorry." He paused, looking at the ground. "I've... I've got to go lay down. I'm sorry, everyone." He left the room very quickly, his head bowed as he walked away.

The Gemini began to laugh before Cyborg slammed a fist against the door.

"Shut the fuck up!" the metallic Titan shouted. No further noise was heard.

Robin rubbed the back of his head. "I'll go contact the Justice League. You guys watch him like a hawk. I still don't trust him."

With that, their leader left the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laying on his bed, Beast Boy stared at the ceiling above him. Barely blinking, he occasionally rubbed his shoulder and tried not to wince in pain. Raven's spell still held, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to let Cyborg look at it. Fortunately, they were almost home free.

_It_ was almost out of their lives forever.

His mind began to wander. Slowly but surely, his eyelids started to droop. Within seconds, he was asleep.

His eyelids flickering as he began to dream, Beast Boy's face became very tight. His expression warped into a face of anguish.

Images flashed through his mind quickly, like some twisted montage from a horror film. Serrated blades held taut to throats. Devilish grins spread on grotesque faces. Maniacal laughter rippled through the corners of his head. His body twisted slightly on the bed as the nightmare progressed.

The knife glinted in a surreal blue light within his dream, the blade poking into the flesh of a somehow familiar throat. The pale skin beneath the blade glistening with red suddenly, a torrential flow of blood leaping out from a freshly cut gap in the flesh. He felt a weakening heartbeat like the dying flickers of a fading fire. The noise stopped and he knew the body was cold.

The laughter continued as the dream ended. Beast Boy found himself wide awake, his eyes bulging out of his skull with fear. He sat up slowly, wincing from his wounded arm.

"No... no..." he whispered to himself, trying to regain his bearings.

Not completely sure of what he was doing, his only thought was to run. Hopping from his bed, he bolted out the door and down the hall..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cy took a deep breath before he continued. "So, anyway, the guy goes on and does his routine anyway. Long story short, he does a perfect triple somersault dismount from the rings, the judges give him a 9.7, and Japan wins the gold medal. He does it all on a broken knee. He doesn't even flinch when he lands or anything."

"Truly, this man is a noble warrior."

Cyborg nodded. "Indeed, Star."

"Or completely insane." added Raven dryly.

"Also possible. Which explains why years later, when asked if he would do it all over again if he had the chance, he just said, 'No, I would not.' No further explanation or anything. Just a blunt refusal. Just wouldn't do that to himself again."

The two girls nodded when he finished. "I must confess, I never saw you as a gymnastics buff, Cyborg." admitted the cloaked teen.

"Well, if it's just between me and the girls..." he trailed off. Cy raised an eyebrow and slowly made his way over to the small window in the steel door. He looked inside carefully, before his head snapped back.

"He's gone! He's fucking gone!" he shouted, sticking his finger in the tiny red hole again. The door slid open and the three Titans ran into the room.

There was a small breach in the steel floor, just enough for a slim man to squeeze through.

"How could this have happened? The three of us were outside of this prison cell the entire time!" declared Star, hands on her head.

Cyborg examined the hole carefully. "Acid burns. Acid burns! How did we not smell anything? And how did we not notice this when we disarmed him? How could he have hidden this on himself?" He turned his gaze to their resident empath. "Raven! Where is he?"

Raven's face looked very sour. "I... I can't sense him. I've noticed this before... I just can't sense him. Nobody's this good, and I've broken through numerous psychic defenses before. Unless..." her eyes grew very wide. "Of course!"

Starfire suddenly shrieked, tearing their attention towards her. "Robin and Beast Boy! We have got to locate them!" she commanded, and began to fly from the room. Within seconds, she was in the hallway on her way to the elevator.

"I hate to say it, but we'd better split up. I think Star's got Robin. You find Beast Boy, Rae. I'll do a check of the ventilation system on the computer. Let's go!"

"But there's something..." began to Gothic teen.

"No time! There's a psychopath on the loose!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The small metal door slid quietly open, and Robin slowly walked inside, his footsteps echoing as he walked towards the massive screen in the centre of the room. Finally approaching the console, he flipped several switches. The lights came up, illuminating his surroundings as he prepared to send a signal to the Justice League. As he was searching for the proper frequency to send the signal, he noticed an acrid smell wafting throughout the room.

_Acid? Don't tell me... _he thought to himself, his muscles tightening as tension shot through his system. He turned around quickly and scanned the room, looking for any conspicuous holes or any movement. He took a few steps forward, making his way towards a large mechanical device which blocked the wall behind it. _If he's smart..._

He slowly made his way to the side of the machine, and carefully poked his head around. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he saw...

Nothing. Only a tiny insect buzzing harmlessly along.

His disappointment was interrupted by a hand roughly jerking his head backwards. His body stumbling, he found himself locked in a vice-like grip, his arms bound to his sides. Careful maneuvering by his foe ensured minimal movement from his legs as well, leaving him completely at somebody else's mercy. And he knew who it was.

"Gemini..." he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "How in the..."

"A-a-a m-magician ne-never reveals h-his secrets, m-my boy. Boy, the Robin Wonder. Heh." chuckled the familiar echoed voice.

"I hate you. I _hate_ you! I wish Beast Boy had killed you!" Robin spat.

"Yes, w-well, too late now." Robin felt a serrated blade rub up against his Adam's apple. "He's t-telling me-e I sh-should kill y-you. And-d I agree. T-t-time to die." the masked adversary hissed.

A tiny mosquito which had landed upon the Gemini's bladed hand mere moments ago suddenly grew in size to become a very fat green hedgehog, causing the enemy to misjudge his calculations and barely nick Robin's throat, a tiny trickle of blood leaking out to show how much horribly worse it could have been. The error allowed the Boy Wonder just the space he needed to escape. As the hedgehog transformed back into a mosquito and flew away, the Titans' leader spun around quickly, delivering a savage punch to Gemini's midsection, sending him reeling backwards. The dark-clad enemy tripped over the console in the scramble and fell to the ground hard. The mosquito changed into his most familiar form once he was safely beside his leader.

"I owe you my life!" hollered a grateful Robin.

"Don't worry about it. You go get the others. I'll keep him busy." explained Beast Boy

"Your shoulder..."

"I'm fine. Go! Get help!" shouted the shapeshifter, his features dead serious. Robin nodded and ran from the room. Beast Boy returned his attention his enemy, who was slowly getting back to his feet.

"V-ver-ry cl-clever... B-b-beast B-oy." he stammered, his voice pitch markedly different. For once, he sounded tired.

Not even bothering to reply, the green Titan changed into a tiger and lept at his foe, knocking him to the ground. The large feline had the Gemini pinned, placing its teeth carefully on his throat to deter retribution. The Gemini's knee swiftly slammed into the tiger's side, causing its balance to shift. Seizing the opportunity, Gemini slammed a recently freed fist into the creature's front leg, causing it to howl in agony and roll off of the terrorist. Involuntarily, Beast Boy changed back to human form, gripping his shoulder and fighting off tears.

"Sh-shoulder... pr-problem-ms?"

The changeling's breathing was ragged. "Fuck... you..." he groaned, shifting quickly into bear.

Ignoring the pain, Beast Boy stood proudly up on his haunches, towering over his foe. The Gemini crouched into a defensive stance. Swinging a massive paw, Beast Boy caught the Gemini by surprise as he tried to dodge, knocking him off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground. The Gemini attempted to stand upright once again, but the green bruin's paws caught him once again in the chest. With a second swing, the Gemini was sent flying into a wall. The bear charged forward before the dark-clad terrorist could react, grabbing him by the arm with a set of powerful jaws and swinging him once more across the room. His eyes were filled with determination as he continued the rampage, plowing into the prone Gemini. His claws stabbed into his adversary's side, lifting him off of the ground and bringing the two face to face. With his massive skull as a deadly weapon, the shapeshifter head-butted the masked figure twice before dropping him to the ground. The Gemini twitched on the floor.

Beast Boy was almost out of breath by this point. Everything was completely concentrated, he felt nothing of the world outside of this battle. There was a glint of hate once more in his eyes, and his features were set tight on his face. The feeling he knew he had sensed from before when he savagely attacked the Gemini was resurfacing. He remembered the panic when he thought he had killed his foe, and the twinge of guilt from the pleasure he had derived from it.

Gemini was deadly, yes. But... but... he couldn't. He shouldn't. If the good guys started just killing people, how were they any better than the people they were trying to stop? A disturbing thought crept into his head. Killing the Gemini would simply make him become _like_ the Gemini. And the very idea repulsed him. He shifted back into human form as he eyed his fallen foe.

"BEAST BOY!" came a familiar cry.

B.B. turned around to find the remaining Titans staring wide-eyed at his actions. He raised both of his hands. The shapeshifter began to slowly step towards his friends. A great exhaustion swept over him suddenly as the pain in his shoulder erupted back to life.

"No. Not gonna kill him. I won't do it." He briefly stumbled as he collapsed into Starfire's arms. "Consider him in submission." he grunted.

The remaining Titans stared at Gemini's twitching body. Without warning, Raven began to slowly step towards the convulsing enemy.

"Raven... what are you doing?" asked a very tense Robin, slowly drawing a boomerang from his belt. Cyborg readied his sonic cannon after recognizing his leader's action.

"Something we should have done a long time ago." she replied quietly. "Come on... come on..." she whispered to herself over and over.

When she was within three feet of their adversary, he sprang up suddenly, a serrated blade once again jetting from his hand.

"F-f-f-resh-sh b-blo-blood f-for u-ussss!" came Gemini's infernal cry, his voice like rusted metal scraping against a concrete floor.

"I knew it!" The mystic screamed, dodging his clumsy attack. "AZARATH... METRION... ZINTHOS!" she recited, hands pointed towards the threat.

A coil of black energy wrapped itself around Gemini's neck, suddenly wrenching his head from his body. His corpse fell lifelessly to the floor as the head bounced off the ceiling from the force of the attack and dropped into Raven's cradling arms.

"RAVEN! WHAT THE FUCK?" screamed Cyborg, gripping his head tightly between his two hands. Robin and Starfire's jaws dropped in unison.

"Relax." she replied, sighing. "Notice the lack of blood?"

She quickly removed the mask from the severed head in her hands. Beneath the tattered black cloth was an eerie sight. Impossibly smooth porcelain skin covered the bald head and shined in the bright lights. Gaping holes remained where cheekbones should have been. A triangular speaker was placed where his mouth should be. Small pin-holes substituted ears. His eyes were polished white orbs with a gelatinous blue centre, and lacked true eyelids. The optical sensors were fused tightly to what the machine called a skull, servo-motors allowing for rapid movement. Wires dangled from the remains of the Gemini's neck.

"He was... he was a fucking robot?" blurted Cyborg, his jaw slack.

"I remember this... He showed me his face while I was his captive... I had been convinced that he had drugged me into seeing that until now, however." whispered Starfire. "He seemed like some unnatural demon. I could not accept that that was his true face."

Raven nodded. "That's why I couldn't sense him. That's why he would never stop fighting. That's how he was able to move so swiftly. He was just a machine the whole time."

"Yes, an expensive machine. But you have all done me a favour." came a terrifying familiar voice. The Titans turned to the corner of the room, where Slade stood, a hand to his chin.

"Slade!" cried Robin, stepping forward slowly. "How'd you get in?"

"Relax, my dear boy. I'm not here to fight you. I am here to thank you. For you see, a few months ago, I began work on new generation of androids. While I was still pleased with my own abilities, I recognized the limitations of being... just one man. I knew just what I was looking for in a cybnertic soldier... Relentless, cold, calculating. I wanted the ultimate robot assassin. I entered into a partnership with a man named Professor Chang, and together, we named this the Gemini Project. The machine you have destroyed is the Gemini Mk. III..."

"So you sent this after us to test it?" asked Robin, his teeth clenched.

Slade shook his head. "Not quite. Unfortunately, the good Professor and I had a falling out of sorts about the ultimate goal of the project. After destroying his lab, I took the prototype Mark III back with me. It was around this time that I began to notice some... problems with the unit."

"You mean that it was fucking nuts?" asked Cyborg, folding his arms across his chest.

Slade ignored the metallic teen. "It was quickly malfunctioning. At first it was minor details, like a problem with projecting vocals. But things began to turn very dark. It started to talk to imaginary figures. It was a sort of... schizophrenic robot, if you can imagine. I'd catch it have remarkably detailed, yet one-sided, conversations with nothing. Its central processor was clearly beginning to malfunction. I blame Chang, personally. Either his incompetence or his quest for vengeance..."

"Get on with it..." prodded Beast Boy, not about to fool around.

"Yes, well... I finally gave up on the project. While physically the android was at zenith performance, and tactically the machine was brilliant, the fact that its central processing unit was beginning to deteriorate made it a legitimate hazard. Unfortunately, it must have been aware of my feelings as well. When I went to finally destroy it, it overpowered me, locked me in a storage unit, and escaped. I'd been tracking it ever since. And now, you have finished the job I set out to do." There was an awkward silence as the two sides stared at one another. "So, thank you, Titans. You have done me a great favour."

Robin shook his head. "Even if I were to believe you, and you didn't arrange for this android to attack us, you still had a role in its creation. You're coming with us..." he took a threatening step forwards as the rest of the Titans took up defensive positions to aid their leader.

"I'm afraid not, Robin. For I am not actually here." Tossing his boomerang, the Boy Wonder realized the truth of the statement as it passed completely through the one-eyed enemy and dug into the wall. "I am thanking you now, yes. But our little... understanding... means that this isn't over. Certainly not. I look forward to seeing you all again. Goodbye." Placing his hands behind his back, Slade faded from view.

The team stood in silence for almost a minute, staring at where their biggest enemy had once stood. Finally, they all exchanged glances.

"So... he was a hologram?" asked Starfire, scratching her head. 

"It appears so, Star." whispered Robin in disbelief.

"That's... that's it? Is it over?' asked Cyborg, looking from side to side.

"It is. It's finished. I suggest we take this time to realize just how lucky we are to have one another. I know I realize it now." declared Beast Boy in a solemn tone, casting a sideways glance at Raven. The other Titans looked at one another, smiling. Relief spilled over all of them one by one like a waterfall as everything began to sink in.

Starfire lept at her leader, squeezing him tightly before deeply kissing him. Robin blushed in response and scratched the back of his head, grinning nervously. Starfire smiled coyly. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before slowly wandering out of the room, almost tripping over his feet.

Cyborg patted the dazed Beast Boy on the head. "C'mon, B.B. You need to get that arm looked at." The duo made their way towards the medical room silently, Cy's arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Friend Raven? What do we do with the robot's remains?" asked the Tamaranian as she walked over to the Gemini's still body.

Raven looked at the head still in her hands before turning to look at the alien. "Let's take him completely apart, and mail each piece to a different part of the globe." She dropped the hunk of metal to the ground. "Never again. We will never let this happen again."

Starfire nodded in firm solidarity, and they silently went to work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EPILOGUE

Just twenty-four hours later, the sun rose over Jump City as if the events of the previous week had never occurred at all. The neutrality of nature was a remarkable thing. Despite whatever terrors are unleashed upon a populace, the sun continues to shine, the wind continues to blow, and rivers continue to flow. The chill of the morning made the good citizens of Jump City move that much more quickly about their early errands. Mothers warmed up cars before taking children to school. Businessmen stamped their feet while waiting for their bus. Smokers shivered outside as they took one final puff before getting the day over with.

Raven stared out the window of the tower, not wishing to risk the frost on the roof. Like any morning, she watched the sun come up over the bay. She took a surprising amount of comfort from the stability of this action now. The sun always set, and the sun always rose. Life went on. She sipped her cup of tea thoughtfully.

"Morning..." came the groggy voice behind her. She didn't bother to turn around. She knew Beast Boy's tone when she heard it.

"Good morning, Beast Boy. You're up early."

The heavy sound of footsteps, and suddenly he was right beside her. "I can barely sleep with his cast on. Every now and again I roll over, and a jolt of pain wakes me up."

She nodded, still watching the view. "I can take a look at it for you later. If you'd like that, I mean. I can at least do something about the pain."

Her friend smiled. "Yeah, that'd be great." He followed her gaze, looking out over the water. After a notable pause, he broke the ice again. "I'd just like to thank you, by the way. With everything that's happened since yesterday, I didn't get a chance."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? For what?"

"For helping me. You know, appearing to me, talking to me. Helping me stay sane through this."

Raven bit her lip. She remained silent for an uncomfortably long time. "Beast Boy, I don't know what you're talking about. I was in a coma. My mind wouldn't have been active enough to do anything."

Her friend cast his eyes downward. "But... you must have sent your astral self, or something... I saw you. Several times. You talked to me, kept me sane. You helped us out a lot."

"I really don't know what to tell you..."

"You told me where to find the Gemini, for Christ's sake! It had to be you! Your powers are mysterious, even you don't know the full range of your abilities, right? Even when you were unconscious..."

"My mind would have to be completely cognizant for me to do something like that. One can't just 'accidentally' do magic."

"That's impossible! I saw you! I know I did!"

"From the sounds of things... You felt bad about what happened and the fact that you couldn't do anything to stop it--"

He cut her off quickly, his tone harsh. "Don't call me crazy! I know what I saw!"

Raven adopted a soothing tone. "I'm not saying you're crazy. Don't look at it so negatively, Beast Boy. View it this way: You missed a good friend, and were horrified at what had happened to her, and your mind did something to help you cope. It's natural. You're not crazy. It seems like a viable mental response to something so traumatic."

The green lad took a deep breath, drinking it all in. "You think so?"

"Definitely. And think about this: Whatever it is I helped you with... that means it was you all along. You helped _yourself_, Beast Boy. You kept yourself sane."

The changeling scratched his head, drinking the information in carefully. "So... it was me... the whole time?" he finally said, the sound of understanding edging into his voice.

"You helped yourself, Beast Boy." She repeated.

"But what about when I had that dream and you told me where to find the Gemini?"

"That's a little harder to explain..."

"And if you didn't tell me where Gemini was... how did _you_ know where to go?" he jabbed a finger at her, a sly look in his eyes. 

Raven raised an eyebrow. "We traced your communicators. Feeling paranoid lately?"

Beast Boy slapped his forehead and shook his head. "Just a little, yeah. After this week, can you blame me?" He ran his hand through his hair, looking sheepish. 

She chuckled slightly. "Point taken... To continue, it sounds like you had a mild clairvoyant experience. It''s not unheard of, especially in dreams."

"Wow... cooooool... so I'm psychic?"

Raven finally smiled. "Well, I won't go that far. But you've done something really amazing, Beast Boy. You should be proud of yourself." She put a hand on his shoulder, and he blushed and smiled a massive, toothy grin.

"Thanks, Raven."

She let out a small laugh. "Like I said, I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. Just now. Thank you."

Raven averted her gaze, not wishing to let him see her blush. After a brief pause, she returned to look at him. His smile seemed even larger, leading her to suspect he figured out what she was doing. "Come on. Let's go take a look at that arm."

The duo quietly left the room, avoiding each other's eyes. Their smiles stemmed from many things. Relief. Weariness. Euphoria. But most of all, understanding. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**So concludes "Revenge!" I'd like to thank everybody who's taken the time to read it. I had an immense amount of fun writing this, and was so glad to see such a positive response from the readers.**

**As I mentioned above, Gemini quotes "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," by T. S. Eliot. Which is a really neat poem, albeit a tad depressing. Also, the story Cyborg tells just before Gemini escapes is about Shun Fujimoto, who won a gold medal for Japan at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. I wanted to have Cy tell a completely random story, and I had just read about that, so I went with it.  
**

**I'd like to apologize for taking so long to write Chapter 6. I hit a huge wall before I started this. I'd been writing a lot of papers lately (although I refuse to use that as an excuse), and when I finally began to write "Ghost Dance," I was suddenly stricken with a bit of writer's block. I thought to myself, "Dammit, how in the hell can I get Gemini out of this and make it interesting AND still have it lead to a decent conclusion? I went through a few endings, and a few moderations to the ending you have just read, before I finally came up with something that a) I liked and B) worked well with the story. **

**The ORIGINAL ending had the Gemini escape from the Arena after a brief battle and, later on, challenge the Titans to a fight to the death at a Graveyard (Hence the title of the chapter, which I kept because I still like the way it sounds). There was a gap between his escape and his challenge where I was originally going to put part of what is now the Epilogue. Basically, B.B. would find out Raven hadn't actually appeared to him, and he'd start to doubt his sanity, but it would all be proven A-Okay in the end. But all in all, I really didn't like the pacing of that ending. Plus, it seemed so awkward to have Gemini escape from the Titans without the aid of his teleportation devices, and, again regarding pacing, for it all to happen so fast. So I scrapped it. I also kicked around the idea of having Gemini declare a winner-take-all, battle to the death with Beast Boy, with the arena rigged with explosives if they didn't do it, but I realized it just wouldn't work. ****It seemed _too _over-the-top for the story, and so I axed that too. ****At that point, I went out, had a coke, and finally worked out the ending you now see. I like it.**

**Interestingly enough, ****when I finally decided to have the finale take place in the Tower, ****I also debated killing Robin in his final confrontation with the Gemini.. I felt that _that_ would have been too much at this point. It really wouldn't have worked in the end, and it would have just been gratuitous. So everybody lives except the Gemini. Hooray!  
**

**The Gemini was a damn fun character to write. I had no intention of letting him live through this series, though. A guy this psychotic, who acts that reckless, well, he's gotta die. Justice has to be served, as we've heard time and time again. But I figured that if I he was gonna die in the end, he was going to be damn _interesting_ while he's around. Having him drop random quotes was one of my favourite aspects of his character. I tried to make him as completely detached from society as I could. He's literally a rebel without a cause.  
**

**So, there you have it. The ending of "Revenge!" I'm currently working on some new ideas for Teen Titans stories. The most developed one right now is a sequel to my humour story, "Halloweenies." I've got a bit written down for it already, so I'll try and get that out as soon as possible.**

**Thanks again for reading! Until next time... Peace! - AMZ-C-Raven**


End file.
